Now?
Now?
| After reading all this you still might not be convinced
of the positive images and texts put forth by the Elite Mexico
Experiences ads to re-shape the unsafe discourse that recently affects
international tourists' negative perceptions of Mexico. But perhaps
the viewership of such images can call to mind W.J.T Mitchell's idea
that images not only have the communicative power to tell stories and
encode messages but also, to pose questions. I know it is easy to
interpret the positive tales of adventure and fun while fishing Mexican
coastlines, or romance prompted at the Mexican seaside, or the
discoveries and awe to be had within ancient Mexican ruins, but what
about how these images make us question or re-negotiate the negative
depictions of Mexico mentioned earlier? I think it is this very
thought process that these particular advertisements yearn for within
their travelers. As I mentioned earlier, with the upsurge in periodical and magazine editorials concerning current drug violence within the boundaries of Mexico, a declination in tourism draw and revenue is currently at stake. And with this at stake, the Mexico Tourism board has looked towards the power of images (anchored by narrative text), in advertisements to construct recognizable and desirable place-myths, Western understanding and framing of Mexican experiences through pictorializaing features, "lost space" experiences, and lastly, a link between tourism and desirable visual culture as the savior to the Mexican Tourism Industry once and for all.
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