Cancún (Spanish pronunciation: [kaŋˈkun]) is a city of international tourism development certified by the UNWTO (World Tourism Organization).[2] Located on the northeast coast of Quintana Roo in southern Mexico, more than 1,700 km from Mexico City, the Project began operations in 1974 as Integrally Planned Center, a pioneer of FONATUR (Fondo Nacional de Fomento al Turismo, National Fund for Tourism Development), formerly known as INFRATUR.
In a few years, it had a remarkable transformation since being a fisherman's island surrounded by virgin forest and unknown shores; it is now, along with Acapulco, the most renowned Mexican resort in the world. Politically, it is the county seat of Benito Juárez municipio (county), in the state of Quintana Roo. The World Tourism Organization (WTO), through its foundation UNWTO-Themis, awarded the Best of the Best "for excellence and good governance" to the Trust for Tourism Promotion of Cancun on February 3, 2007. This gave Cancún the support of the Department of Education and Knowledge Management of the WTO.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canc%C3%BAn,_Quintana_Roo