When Greed Wins, Zihuatanejo Loses

Rob, I for one would rather rub elbows with Mexican Nationals on a one or two day vacation than the wristbanded AI's in Ixtapa.

Maybe you would, but the town's economy will still die and take Zihuatanejo's businesses and their families with it, and all that will be left are hillsides full of impoverished people with no viable businesses to work for.

The rack numbers in Ixtapa's A-Is remain in the high percentages by lowering their rates and attracting less affluent people in addition to other less affluent tourists coming here by buses. Previously even Ixtapa's A-I tourists would cross the street and eat in the Ixtapa's restaurants and purchase goods in Ixtapa's stores. But their numbers are waning well below a sustainable level and the result is more business closures.

Zihuatanejo has a population of over 100,000, and we are pretty much 100% dependent on tourism for our jobs and income. So when Mexican tourists with less purchasing power come in place of previous tourists with more purchasing power then all of a sudden we have an unsustainable economy. Even though there may be more warm bodies to look good for the "happy stats" the tourism officials like to supply, the reality is that Zihuatanejo is getting poorer and more and more businesses can't afford to stay open. Along with the government allowing our hillsides to be stolen by squatters, the failing businesses leads to increased poverty that also increases the tendency towards criminality and lawlessness. It's a no-brainer that we've already seen happen in Acapulco. But Acapulco has been a gold mine politically and economically for corrupt politicians, so they LOVE that model for Zihuatanejo. Meanwhile, my family, friends and neighbors all watch as the value of our patrimony decreases.