Planning and design for tourism in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico

Puerto Penasco is a small Mexican town (pop. 26,141) located on the Sonora coast 65 miles from the U.S. border at Lukeville, Arizona. In recent years, over-fishing in the Gulf of California has resulted in a sharp decline in Puerto Penasco's fishing industry. Tourism is an economic alternative which holds potential for revitalizing the local economy, if planning and design for tourism is carefully conceived and executed. Review of international tourism and examination of economic, socio-cultural, and environmental impacts of tourism indicate that traditional forms of large-scale mass tourism may not be appropriate for Puerto Penasco. An alternative, integrated form of tourism is proposed for Puerto Penasco that respects local landscapes as well as local culture and heritage. Revitalization of the historic Old Town and the Harbor areas is proposed to attract tourists to existing urban areas while preserving natural open space along the coast