Am starting a new thread even tho this relates to the past Slowing in New Construction thread found here: http://www.cancuncare.com/forum/vie...ays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=cement&start=20 Our friend who works in one of Mexico's top cement companies reports that they've recently laid-off more than 30 workers in Cancun. And they are struggling to make payroll. They are not optimistic. They have no work.
I think everyone is a little concerned about their job security right now.... Unless you work in an unemployment office. :lol:
That is 30 in one cement company. They are talking about 4,000 albañiles laid off because of the slowdown. 4,000 people who live from paycheck to paycheck making about $100 a week, who live(d) in the buildings they were building and now (¡Feliz Navidad!)have no job, nowhere to live and no way to get back home. (most are from neighbouring states like Chiapas. The Solidaridad local government has been paying them bus fare to send them back but not this many and not all are in the Riviera Maya.) I live close to a lot of construction in downtown Cancun and have seen some slowdown, some stoppages and some speed ups! Depends if the owner has deep pockets or not I guess.
Crime is up too, my neighbors had set up a nativity display and it was stolen from thier yard the next night. Another neighbor had a Cica palm stolen that was 12 years old, the thieves just pulled up in a pickup and went in the yard and loaded up the plant. 2 girls came running up to me in the park in front of my house on Thursday because a man had tried to attack them grabbing thier backpacks (they were about 15). They said thye thought he was an albañil and it was at round 6:30 pm when they get off work in Puerto Cancun.
I speak from limited experience in Cancun, as I have not been here all that much. I currently live in Veracruz. But here are a few observations: If "tourism" is down, I think it is because the people have priced themselves out of the market, at least from the standpoint of the American tourist. Many of the things that tourists do in Cancun, can be done in the States for the same price. I hate to use again, the example of the fishing charter, but it is an industry that I am intimate with, and know a lot about. But to charge $450 USD for a day of bonefishing/light tackle fishing here, (same as in the States) borders on usuary. From a psychological standpoint, I also feel that charging for goods and services in USD is a detriment, because the (American especially) tourist then loses the price differential between the peso and the dollar. For example, these days a Cancun vacation should be dirt cheap, relatively speaking. But with everything charged in dollars, the prices don't go up and down to reflect that. Then, as was alluded to in the other thread, the AI hotels may have something to do with all this as well. Like BVG Steve, I am also from So. Florida, although a little farther north in Stuart. Everything he says regarding prices of oceanfront condos, property taxes, etc. is right on. But back to the AI hotels....I also lived for 16 years in Key West, and every Summer saw a tourist season, but they were different tourists. These were Florida tourists, and they came down in their R/V's and stayed at the campgrounds. They took advantage of all the public facillities, but never set foot in a restaurant or bar, since they had brought all that with them. I think a similar thing might be happening in Cancun. Cheap hotel/airfare packages are easy to come by, and the tourists are staying within the means of the resort package, in order to save money....and for the reasons noted above. Finally, I think the world economy has been on a downslide for a lot longer than we were actually aware of, via the media, etc. This will have an effect as well.
Hey RG! Does this mean that house prices will finally fall as well??? :? Does anyone know if people are still buying all that new stuff out the back of Santa Fe for those stupid prices?? The construction industry really did have a fantastic run there for a number of years. Maybe it is just re-ajusting back again. In England crime always shot up 100% around christmas time, maybe it is the same here and doesn't really relate to construction workers getting laid off.
One thing that I understand about tourism in general is that locations go into favor for a while and then lose their luster. Cancun was THE place for Americans to go 10 years ago. And 5 years ago Playa del Carmen or the Riviera Maya was hot. Now the hot spots are in DR or Jamaica or somewhere. We are on a downward slide here. It may be slow, it may go up and down some, but the trending that I see and understand is all generally down. And with the economy the way it is people who would come here are staying home. My spies at the airport report that the planes are still coming half full. Normally in early December there are more people coming than this.
Sorry.....My above post was supposed to go on another thread....Oh well chalk it up to another senior moment. Cancun is obviously different from Veracruz. Here, construction is booming and prices are rising daily. However, if you drive along our malecon at night, you'll see hardly a light on in any of the condos that line the waterfront. Yet you'll be told that they are all sold....and the owners are paying their monthly condo fees (about 5000 pesos per month...yikes!) for nothing. But it will be interesting to see if the same happens in Cancun. It just makes you realize that there are a LOT of people in this world, with a LOT of money. I can't imagine paying half a million dollars ....and then $500 a month...for something I never use. RiverGirl may be right in her assessment of the tourism trend. I also know from experience, that tourism may suffer, the more popular Cancun becomes as a Spring Break locale. It happened in Ft. Lauderdale, and that's part of the reason why the city kicked the students out.
Cancun already had its Springbreak high several years ago and they have already not accepterd springbreakers at several hotels and tried to discourage the "springbreak" image, Thankgod! Regardlesss of how you look at it there is a recession going on and it is pretty much global so I think the first places that are going to take the hit are Vacation Destinations.
I'm not sure where I heard this but I've repeatedly heard that springbreakers make up less than 5% of vacationers to Cancun. They make a lot of noise and worry their parents, but they aren't that big a part of Cancun's tourists.
