Effects of Internet Access on Tourist Consumption in Mexican Households

Internet has become a necessary tool for the Mexican tourism sector, providing travelers the ability to access a wide variety of services and enabling informed decision-making. This study analyzes the impact of tourism consumption in terms of internet access in Mexican households. The aim of this work is to evaluate the influence of internet on the process of tourism decision-making and its relationship with tourism consumption using a semi-logarithmic model with data from the National Survey of Household Income and Expenditure (ENIGH) carried out by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI). The survey describes the availability and use of information and communications technologies in households and their use by individuals aged 6 and above in Mexico. The results indicate that households with a higher income show a progressive increase in tourism consumption, package tours, and internet expenditure. Thus, 90% of the population account for 59.1% of tourism consumption 37.5% of tour packages, and 77.9% of internet expenditure. Although tourism increases due to internet use, this rise is inelastic; that is, it does not proportionally increase along with internet access in households.