Travel experience and social tourism programmes in Mexico

Social tourism was adopted in Mexico from the early 1970s. Initially, it became a government programme aiming to provide tourism access to people who did not have economic resources to travel or enjoy annual vacations. Following the French model on social tourism, it was realized that national conditions were rather different from those in the European context, and the newly established National Council for Social Tourism had to deal with minor adjustments if they were to run a successful social tourism programme. The Federal Tourism Law included a chapter on social tourism and benefits derived for different segments of population. Through the years, four groups have kept active as social tourism beneficiaries: youth, families, disabled and elderly people. With the turn of the century, and facing international economic crises, the government restricted the economic support once given to social tourism programmes, and played a different role. This new role was to be a mediator between tourism suppliers and citizens seeking support to access tourism. This new approach focused on private and social organizations providing support and agreements between those involved in the tourism business. This case study provides a brief background to social tourism in Mexico, understands the need to conduct research on senior citizens, and provides evidence of seniors’ experience when travelling with a planned social tourism programme.