Things are none to rosy here on the island at the moment. Tourist and business wise. We are at a record low for tourism. Restaurants have closed their doors until November or December, at least. A lot of the gift shops are either gone or closed for a few months also.
I was downtown on Monday night and it was, to say the least, a ghost town. The only other time I have seen it so empty was after a hurricane. I feel so sorry for the people who depend upon the tourist trade to make a living. Times are hard for them right now.
But the good news for those of us still here is the deals being offered by most of the restaurants. I know for a fact that Fayne's and Angelo's both are running special that are not to be missed. Bamboo also has a some good deals. Lobster at one peso per gram!
The other side of that coin is the restaurants that stupidly (IMHO) raise their prices when business drops off. Yes, that will definitely draw in the few customers there are. I think those places deserve what they get....no business.
But don't take my word for it. Here's what our local rag sheet had to say.
"By Miriam Gonzalez
ISLA MUJERES, October 5 .- The Isla Mujeres restaurant industry is suffering the worst crisis in years, with a drastic drop in the operations of 70 percent, some businesses have even decided to close its doors.The severe crisis that hit all sectors of the destination has grown for the restaurant industry who do not see the exit with so many taxes and restrictions that started since early this year.For this sector in some cases there has been another rather than close its doors Antelas invalid record sales since starting the season, and what still needs to reach the second month of recession.Commented that the lack of financial resources has forced them to close down or adjust their schedules, that is if before opening any day now do so only at night, when there are more tourists in a few days as weekend .Some restaurateurs have preferred to close down for the season only for them represents both loss and move onto other things.In this sector has also made staff cuts of about 30 percent to reduce costs during a tour of this medium could be observed one of the main avenues of restaurants, where about six stores have closed their doors.In some facilities could be observed signs indicating "no work until further notice", to cite only one example, and thus begins to appear the sale and rental of premises throughout the downtown area.And also in this area rents are high and not to mention prices in commodities, with the rise in crossing the ferry also went to heaven, what turned out to impact this sector.According to Gerardo Mendez said that now all that remains is to hope and pray that reaching tourism and this can be recovered."
As you can see, reading the translated news is not always an easy job!
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9 comments:
Very sad! Things are so bad here too. Stores closing and people out of work. This will probably be my last trip to Cancun till things pick up. After 26 years of Cancun, I'm will definately miss my second home.
It is CRAZY here too. No one in the hotels - no one in the restaurants- no one on the beaches. (well, that last one is sort of nice but...) not to make money. I hope that it turns around soon.
One of many reasons why it is good to be living in Mexico - if you can't afford to fly to paradise than better still is to already be here ;-)
I could go for a couple hundred grams of lobster - yum.
We're coming in two weeks. Sounds like our trip will be reminiscent of my trip in early December 2005 after Wilma. Hopefully, some of our favorite places to eat will be open!
The economy has been really bad in our area with a lot of stores and banks closing. Not to mention all the foreclosed homes. But I have noticed recently that the economy has picked up. Restaurants and malls are busy once again. And two foreclosures in our neighborhood just sold the minute they were listed on the MLS with bidding wars for more than the asking price. (Of course, the asking price was about 40% less than what the original buyer paid for that new house.) I'm thinking we're seeing light at the end of the tunnel.
Well, you did your part to get things moving again, telling your readers that it's the perfect time to visit Isla Mujeres if you don't like crowds and love lobster. Wonder if the hotels are offering any price breaks.
We will be visiting in early march and one thing we loved about isla is that there were not a lot of people but i hope the resturants are open in Hidalgo Ave. I miss isla can't wait to get back and spend my dollars to boost the economy,all the people i met there on my last visit were so friendly to my wife and i.
I think things are bad all over. My twenty something son lost his job and has not been able to find another. He is moving back into my home. People just do not have the money to take a trip right now, and more inportantly even if they do have the money there is so much uncertanty regarding employment and the economy, they are holding on to it!
Somhow I will scrape togather the $$ to come again next year but will I be spending much money in the restaurants and gift shops? Maybe not!
Andrea
KfromMichigan: it's all so sad. I hope things pick up soon so you can continue to visit!
tulumliving: sounds like this depression is hitting everywhere.
calypso: i think only those of us with a bit of money in the bank would agree with you right now.
LAB: i think you will find most, if not all, of your favorite places still open. The less popular places are getting hit hard.
1st mate: I haven't heard of any hotels offering any specials. Good question though. I'll start asking around.
anonymous: despite the hard times people are experiencing, they have not lost their cheerfulness. At least to strangers.
AHealey: I think you summed it all up quite well. I sure hope things change soon. I don't know how some people are surviving. I've even seen people trying to sell personal items for a fraction of the value. They have to eat.
We are definitely facing some of the same problems in Cozumel. But things have certainly been picking up a little in the last couple of months. Maybe it's a general impression that the world-wide recession might be coming to a close, maybe it's something else, but we'v definitely seen more rental activity and general tourism on the island.
Pawel from enjoycozumel.com
Cozumel vacation rentals and property management
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