Several countries in Latin America are receiving Residential Tourism from United States and Canada. This residential displacement of people from the global north to the south, for longer than traditional tourists, has brought economic growth for some regions but also it has caused some social and environmental effects, given the economic asymmetry between the host population and the new residents. Social: Given the economic polarization between tourists and local residents, there is gentrification in the urban space and a displacement of the local elite. Environmental: In many cases these tourists demand spaces near the coast and places where biodiversity is very fragile. In this paper the objectives were to analyze some impacts of residential tourism from United States in three coastal destinations in northwest Mexico: Mazatlan, Sinaloa; Puerto Penasco, Sonora and Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. Using a non-participant observation methodology we describe thesocial and environmental impacts in the region. Using a quantitative methodology (survey) and relying on data provided by the National Migration Institute in each of the three entities, we also describe the demographic composition of these residential tourists.
