The purpose of this study was to address methodological and applied approaches for analyzing tourism for the purpose of appraising its contributions and effects on the Mexican economy in general. There are necessary and indispensable tools which formulate the foundation for significant development in tourism modeling and research. Thus, one of the intents of this study was to analyze the various tools and procedures available that comprise such a foundation. In this discussion, the more important theoretical contributions to the field of tourism studies were addressed. These contributions include those of Marion Clawson in Economics of Outdoor Recreation, H. Peter Gray in International Travel-International Trade, and Donald Rugg in "The Choice of Journey Destination: a Theoretical and Empirical Analysis".