Traditionally, summer is the low season for tourism in Yucatan because visitors would prefer coming here in the winter to escape the bitter cold where they live. This year, however, Yucatan needs summer cruises to help revive a tourism industry that was badly damaged by the H1N1 fiasco. Unfortunately, most of the cruise lines had already rebooked for other locations, so the precious few cruises that are coming now mean all the more to the tourism workers who depend on them for their incomes.
Enter the great push to bring tourism back to Mexico..... Cheap cruises and heavily discounted tours. Sounds wonderful - for the tourists and for the tourism industry. After all, getting them here is more than half the battle. They will spend money once they are here... right? Well... maybe not.
The problem here lies in the type of tourist who takes advantage of cheap cruises. What is actually happening is that less affluent tourists are coming on these cruises and they simply do not have the money to spend that ordinary tourists have. Money is, after all, still in short supply back home for them. This is leaving merchants, artisans, restaurant owners, and beach activity workers in shock because the numbers are not generating the income they thought they would have.
Is this a bad deal all the way around? Certainly not. These cheap cruises and heavily discounted tours have introduced Mexico, and the State of Yucatan, to an entirely new strata of tourists. They have never been here before and had no idea what to expect. Now they know and now they will be back, again and again and again. So, long-term, these cheap cruises and heavily discounted tours are an excellent investment, but that doesn't help the average Yucateco tourism worker and his or her family when they are trying to feed their families today.
The good news is... its time for Summer Vacation and, within the next two weeks, almost all of Merida will arrive at the beach towns. In addition, lobster season also begins this week and the red tide is gone! This means the local economy will get a sustained, 6 or 7 week shot-in-the-arm that will bring us to September. From there, the normal cruises will return and, just a month later, so will the Snowbirds!
In the meantime, please try to purchase local products from local merchants. The expat community in Yucatan has always taken a great deal of pride in the fact that, as individuals, we are part of the fabric of our communities and our state. This is an opportunity to show our concern and support for our Yucateco neighbors and friends, as well as for our communities and our state.
Tags: Cruises Cheap Cruises Yucatan
