An Anderson Schools of Management student course and trip—Spring 2004

UNM and Escalera Nautica Study Project

The spring 2004 MGT 490 class focused on the Sea of Cortez, one of the world’s richest sealife areas.

Escalera Nautica & the Sea of Cortez

The Sea of Cortez is facing perhaps its biggest change: Escalera Nautica, the largest tourism development project ever by the Mexican Government. 

The massive project will build 24 marinas, 10,000 hotel rooms, a new highway linking the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean. It will have massive impacts:

Economic impacts: jobs, income, and tax revenue for Mexican states that do not have much industry, agriculture, nor mining.

Ecological impacts: The Sea of Cortez has whales, sea lions, and dolphins in the thousands, along with tremendous sea life. Its sea life is dramatically illustrated in the Dynamax film, Ocean Oasis, at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History in Albuquerque. Can 50,000 boaters enjoy the Sea of Cortez each year and still maintain this wild, beautiful estuary?

Cultural impacts: A rapid infusion of tourism has sometimes resulted in massive cultural impacts: loss of culture (and $ to maintain culture), demonstration effects where children want things that they cannot have, deterioration of family life.

 

Dr. Eddie Dry, Director

Tourism Management Program

Anderson Schools of Management

MSC 053090

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

USA

To contact us:

Phone: 505-277-3403

Fax: 555-277-7108

E-mail: edry@unm.edu