For the good of your country… let’s boogie!

Kelly Arthur Garrett reviews The Development of Mexico’s Tourism Industry: Pyramids by Day, Martinis by Night (Dina Berger, Palgrave McMillian, 2006), which ONLY costs 70 bucks (50 used… ouch!), a history of the Mexican tourism industry:

 Berger points out that the tourism industry was a creation of the Revolution.  I’ve been saying for years that the Revolution was not anti-foreign, but rather anti-foreign control.  As nationalists and as socialsits, the Revolutionary government had no problem with a Mexican controlled business catering to foreigners.  Besides, from each (the gringos with money) according to his means, to each according to his needs: 

When President Lázaro Cárdenas nationalized petroleum in 1938, the same U.S. oil companies that had promoted car travel to Mexico now warned against vacationing in “that dangerous country.”

But Cárdenas was a big believer in tourism development, and the industry grew slowly (very slowly) during his term from 1934 to 1940.

It was not to pay off until the post-war era. One key breakthrough was the promotion of Mexico City as a modern, cosmopolitan city with a teeming nightlife. That meant creating a teeming nightlife in the capital, where there was none before.

Once that was accomplished, a Mexico vacation offered U.S. tourists the complete package they demanded — sophisticated nighttime entertainment after a day of exploring historical or natural sites.

As Communist Emma Goldberg put it, “What good’s the Revolution if I can’t dance?”