ESTIMACIÓN DE LA ESPECIALIZACIÓN Y DEL POTENCIAL TURÍSTICO RURAL EN HIDALGO, MÉXICO

This paper provides an ‘Evaluated Tourism Specialization Index (IETE)’ to identify rural tourism potentialities in municipalities of the State of Hidalgo, Mexico. While specialization is key in terms of productivity and competitiveness, its estimation has limitations, which are corrected with a methodological adjustment; in this way, a more robust analysis is used in comparison with (1) the qualitative or empiricist parameters commonly used and (2) the simple Specialization Index (IEE), based on proportionality. With the proposed procedure, of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, four were identified as specialized: Atlapexco, Huasca de Ocampo, San Bartolo Tutotepec and Tecozautla, which predominate rural communities with the potential to implement rural tourism initiatives, under the expectation of promoting community and regional development. The IETE contributes to the rigorous identification of rural areas with potential and generates the basis for productive and socio-cultural diagnoses of vulnerable areas.