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jennifer rose

Apr 8, 2005, 7:24 AM

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Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

An e-mail from a friend in Phoenix piqued this question. This friend has taken two vacations each year in Mexico, usually to places like Todos Santos and Puerto Vallarta, and while she doesn't live lavishly, she's still not a budget traveler. She mentioned that Hawaii's now cheaper than Mexico for vacationers. Has anyone else noticed that vacation costs in Mexico have escalated during the past year or so?

donwilliston

Apr 8, 2005, 10:55 AM

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Re: [jennifer rose] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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The cost of tourism anywhere in the world comes down to what a person expects to pay. It’s possible to travel on a small budget just about anywhere and it’s certainly easy to travel on a big one.

If a person wants to come to Mexico, lie on the beach and dink beer it can be very inexpensive. If that same person wants a different “Jungle tour” every day punctuated with parasailing and harbor tours it can be very expensive. If you choose restaurants your food can be affordable, or extreme (either way you can get good food).

What I’m trying to say is that the cost of a vacation depends a lot on what you do after you get to your destination. And I think Mexico is not too expensive.

---
"It's good enough to be true" Gracie Maurahan 1970
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gpk

Apr 8, 2005, 11:59 AM

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Re: [jennifer rose] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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I think airfares to Mexico from the US are disproportionately high, and some hotels that were US$50 per night 9 years ago are now almost US$200. When I owned a condo in Vallarta, only 2 friends visted from the east coast of the US because the airfares were too high.

MG Rabon

Apr 8, 2005, 2:23 PM

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Re: [gpk] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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I agree that airfare is too high, you can fly to Europe for about the same cost as flying to Acapulco from most of the US. However I can't say that it appears to have suddenly gotten that way. The lack of direct flights from the US is most of the problem with our airfares here as you can fly quite cheaply into Mexico City on a direct flight.

While the cost of the flight may be the same as to Europe I'm not aware of many places in Europe where you would be able to have a nice fresh fish dinner and a few drinks, while watching the sunset over the ocean, for $10us or so. Middle class hotels here advertize in the $50-$100 a night range, and the places that the domestic tourists stay at are maybe of half that. Unless Hawaii has experienced some sort of major economic downturn I don't believe you could spend a weekend in Hawaii for what a week or more costs in Mexico.

Compórtate bien, y si no puedes, invítame!
MG Rabon

Carol Schmidt

Apr 8, 2005, 10:20 PM

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Re: [jennifer rose] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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You can fly into Mexico City on whatever discount you can find, pay about $20 to take a first class bus to Queretaro and $6 for a bus into San Miguel, then pay $22.50 a night at the Hotel Sautto or one of the other older hotels, or even cheaper at a hostel, and take advantage of all the free entertainment and eat at the cheapest Mexican restaurants (Cafe Colon for a total meal for about $3.50, the same at Aqui es Mexico and many other places, maybe big fish tacos for 90 cents at a stand, etc., and eat cereal and milk in your room for breakfast and have fruit for snacks), and have a grand time! I doubt if you can do anyplace in Hawaii for that. And San Miguel is considered one of the more expensive towns.

Or you can spend $200 a night for a hotel and $50 a meal and $30 for drinks to hear music at night and go on all the packaged tours and it will for sure cost as much as a Hawaii trip. Your choice. I find San Miguel overall much cheaper than Phoenix, where I last lived.

How much does it cost to vacation in Mexico? How much have you got? And what makes you happy?

Carol Schmidt

sfmacaws

Apr 8, 2005, 11:39 PM

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Re: [Carol Schmidt] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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Since the comparison was Hawaii, I think the vacation would include beach and sun and drinks with parasols. I know the airfare from the west coast to Hawaii is very cheap, it is subsidized by the hotels I believe. Once you get there though, the costs can be a lot higher. Drinks are going to be more in HI than even the gougers in Cancun or PV charge. If you get a package deal of airfare and hotel, it can be as cheap or cheaper in HI as MX, particularly if you are the all-inclusive type and don't drink. If you want to do anything besides sit in the sun and drink, like scuba dive for instance, it can get a lot more expensive in HI. Still, I have been kind of shocked lately at the increase in dive prices in Mexico, I think they are pricing themselves very close to Caribbean or Hawaiian prices. It may be that people in the US who are looking for a sun break in winter don't much care where they go and are willing to pay the same wherever it is. When I was working in NoCal, I would hop on the cheapest flight to somewhere warm with diving every chance I got. Good diving and sun were more important than where for those short trips and they generally cost me close to the same wherever I went.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

wendy devlin

Apr 9, 2005, 8:02 AM

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Re: [Carol Schmidt] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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Travel agents in BC, have all inclusive packages to Hawaii, Dominican republic, and Cuba, cheaper than Mexico in the Winter, but in the summer off season the all inclusive packages to Mexico are cheaper, or close to the same price.

Also, 'All In' marriage packages to Hawaii are cheaper than Mexico, according to what the travel agents have to offer.

jennifer rose

Apr 9, 2005, 10:41 AM

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Re: [Carol Schmidt] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

I think a lot of us have evolved from staying at the Y. That's not my idea of a vacation. If I wanted the Y feeling, I'd look for that federally-subsidized place in Alderson, West Virginia.

Spending about forty nights a year in a hotel, I want something at least as good, if not better, than I have at home if it's a pleasure trip. Heck, I want that for business travel, too.

Esteban

Apr 9, 2005, 3:40 PM

Post #9 of 40 (2258 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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The seasoned Mexican traveller can find incredible deals and usually, negotiate a price if needed. Puerto Vallarta is relatively expensive. But you pay for what you get. You can still find fairly nice rooms in the old part of town on the south side of the river that are dirt cheap,clean and near food within all ranges of ones budget. I really think what we have seen, is a pretty large inflationary percentage rearing its head. Comparing equal hotels in the US to Mexico, I think you'll find the US is almost always more expensive. Same goes for food and a few other things that may pertain to the vacation experience. To summarize, I don't think the prices have risen much more than the REAL inflationary rate.

roni_smith

Apr 9, 2005, 3:52 PM

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Re: [jennifer rose] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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No, I do not believe it has, but as others have written, it depends.

We were there over Christmas. We spent 4 nights on Isla de Mujeres. The first three nights at the Posada del Mar were US$50 a night, the third, Dece 23, was around 85. Then we went to Playa del Carmen for 6 nights and paid $90 a night for a large one bedroom 2 bath condo in the north part of town, about 4 blocks from the Caribbean. You could spend over $200 a night at both places, but why?? Well, the only reason is because you want to.

Food - we had one expensive dinner, on Christmas day, at an Italian restaurant in Playa del Carmen. It cost us about $60 for the two of us, and would have been over $100 in Portland. Lobster pasta with a lobster sitting on top of it and a wonderful porcini ravioli, a bottle of wine and a shared dessert. We also ate our fill at El Fogon (tacos al pastor and frijoles charros) and had two beers each for under $10 - tip included.

Inexpensive, expensive, the choice is yours - once you get there. From the northwest corner of the US to Cancun for $525 each round trip did not seem outrageous to us. Hawaii would have been less for the airfare, but we did not want Hawaiil

Ron
------
Planning for Mexico Move Blog

abq

Apr 9, 2005, 6:49 PM

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Re: [Carol Schmidt] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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As others mentioned, you need to make a fair comparson. Hawaii has it's budget hotels and incredible street food as well. I think Mexico is cheaper but only by about 20 percent compared many other desirable tourist locations.

Carol Schmidt

Apr 10, 2005, 3:12 PM

Post #12 of 40 (2139 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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Jennifer wrote (snip) >I think some of us have evolved from stayng at the Y.>

And some of us would like to evolve into more luxury vacations but can accept that we never will make it now, so we appreciate being able to travel anyplace where we can still get by cheaply. I thought some people would appreciate knowing how cheaply you can indeed vacation even in expensive San Miguel.

Two people could still get by in SMA for $40 a day including hotel if that's all they had and didn't mind cheap eats, freebie entertainment and walking. "Too expensive to vacation here" is just as relative a concept as "too expensive to live here on Social Security." The reply always has to be, compared to what?

Carol Schmidt

MazDee

Apr 10, 2005, 9:09 PM

Post #13 of 40 (2077 views)

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Re: [Carol Schmidt] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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Thank you Carol! We can't all travel 1st class like Jennifer. However, I believe airfares to my home, Mazatlan, are preventing many people from coming here. You can stay here, eat here, have fun here very cheaply, but getting here is the problem.

jennifer rose

Apr 10, 2005, 10:01 PM

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Re: [Diane Hulen] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

Of course, there's always going down a notch when things become too costly. And, of course, going up a notch when a currency is weak. There are tourists who want to maintain the same level of accomodation that they might've enjoyed five years ago, whether it's a no-star hotel or a five-star property.

But the discussion I was trying the generate was "Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?" Are comparables, e.g.hotels of the same ranking, dinner at a white tablecloth restaurant, or a continental breakfast, more expensive now in Mexico than in vacation destinations elsewhere or not?

sfmacaws

Apr 10, 2005, 11:22 PM

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Re: [jennifer rose] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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Along those lines, I do think that Hawaii is the destination most comparable to Mexico. The Caribbean islands are more expensive, at the very least in airfare, but on most in everything else as well. Hawaii offers vacations at many cost levels like Mexico, and it is an inexpensive flight from most of the US. I think the hotels subsidize the airfare by offering package deals with airfare and hotel combined. Whether you take a package or book a flight and a more upscale hotel, it is a good deal from all of the west coast and probably most of the midwest. I don't know about costs from the east coast. From there, I would guess that comparable deals would be available to Florida and the Bahamas. Mexico used to be much cheaper once you arrived, that may no longer be true in the resort towns. Mexico also has culture, ruins, archetecture, music and food that are in addition to the sun, sand and booze that the others offer. That may be attractive to some but it also could be completely irrelevent to many. The down side of choosing Mexico for many in the US is the perception of it as dangerous with bad water and many diseases lurking everywhere. So, it takes a little bit of nerve for the average joe to decide to take that 2 weeks in Mexico. A good deal will tip the scales for many and without the good deal, they will pick a more familiar place more within their comfort zone.

So, what I'm saying is that Mexico has to be cheaper to compete with Hawaii and Florida. I don't know how much cheaper but I think that vacation costs in Mexico may be approaching that line and it could cause either a cut in prices or a recession in the tourist industry. All the resorts in Mexico suffered greatly after 9/11 and they are only back to good money in the last year. I hope they don't shoot the goose by raising the prices too much.

I own a condo in an expensive resort area south of Cancun and I'm amazed at the prices we are getting when we rent it. When I bought it over 6 years ago, it rented for about $120 a night during Xmas and NY but now it is going for $250 a night during the same time. They want to raise it again for next season and reservations are already coming in for those times. It never used to rent during the rainy season, if it did it went for $50 a night with the 7th night free. Now it can be rented year round and the off season rate is up over $100 a night. There is a frenzy of building down there and everyone seems to think the gravy train will run forever. I'm not so sure and I'm not thrilled with the crowds, it has proven to be a good investment though although I didn't buy it for that.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

Marlene

Apr 11, 2005, 7:43 PM

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Re: [sfmacaws] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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Quote

Mexico used to be much cheaper once you arrived, that may no longer be true in the resort towns

You are quite right. Escalating prices here in Mazatlan are evident too, especially in the Golden Zone (tourist area) but also in the historic district which has become trendy with foreign tourists.

Something else I notice is that hotel rates are automatically raised (and in some locations, doubled) when an event takes place or a holiday is scheduled. To me that is shooting self in foot, especially since we cater to national tourists the majority of the year.

It is our neighboring national tourists that keep Mazatlan tourism humming along, not the short foreign tourist season. At what point do they say "enough!". And since we aren't exactly a world class resort area just yet, at what point do the foreign travel companies say "enough!"?

Gayla

Apr 12, 2005, 11:53 AM

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Re: [gpk] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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I've gotta agree with the air fare problem. I live in San Diego, which basically means I can't get anywhere without having to change planes somewhere. There are a couple of non-stops to Hawaii a week, and there are a couple of flights a week on AeroMex that go directly into Mexico without going somewhere else in the U.S. first.

I can get from San Diego to Hawaii for less than $300. I can't get ANYWHERE in Mexico for less than about $550. I also have the option to fly out of Tijuana, but often times that only saves $50-75. The least expensive flights out of Tijuana often leave or return in the dead of night, and frankly, as a single woman traveling by herself, I don't want to have to deal with TJ at 1 AM, nor do I want to have to deal with the border parking lot(s) or SD Trolley system in the late night and wee morning hours.

In October 2004 I spent 10 days in Mexico, 3 in the Guadalajara/Ajijic area and 1 week in Oaxaca. My itinerary was SAN-IAH-GDL-MEX-OAX-IAH-SAN. It's cheaper for me to fly from San Diego to Houston and then into Mexico, than it is for me to go through LAX, SFO and PHX. And the GDL-MEX-OAX leg on Mexicana wasn't exactly economical. My total airfare for this trip was $830. I tried every which way imaginable to minimize this expense, from one combined ticket to buying each segment separately to using a consolidator, to buying directly from the airlines. $830 was the best I could do on 1 ticket purchased from the Continental Airlines web site.

In January 2005 I flew from San Diego to Monterrey. RT airfare was $535!!! I'm supposed to be going to Michoacan in June. I wanted to fly into Morelia. RT airfare has been around $565 +/-. I can get into GDL for around $475.

Luckily the October airfare I was able to claim as a tax deduction since I was (sort of) in Mexico on business. The January trip to Monterrey will be a tax deduction, as will upcoming trips in October and November, but the June trip to Michoacan will not be deductible.

There are some really good package deals out of San Diego to Loreto in Baja Sur. For around $400 you can do a 4 day/3 night trip that includes RT airfare, hotel, 2 breakfasts and a welcome drink. I did it in 2003 and had a blast. But after about the middle of June Loreto gets way to hot to even consider visiting until mid-October. There were a lot of families taking advantage of this package.

There may, however, be a glimmer of relief coming. Both AeroMex and Mexicana are government owned, and they are both profitable at the moment, though just barely. The Mexican government has realized that the airfares on the National airlines are not competitive. Therefore, they are putting both airlines up for sale this year. I believe AeroMex has already been offered. It's their hope that a buyer will be able to grow the routes flown and modify the airfares due to natural and normal competition. (Source - San Diego Union-Tribune and several on-line financial sites)

jimindetroit

Apr 13, 2005, 6:21 AM

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Re: [Gayla] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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No doubt about it. Mexican travel has not become too expensive. European travel has become too expensive. In 2003, we booked a hotel one year in advance on the Italian Riviera and searched for airfares for six months. Two tickets were more than the cost of 10 nights hotel stay. So we gave up and booked Guad after reading the AARP article. Airfare for two was less than one ticket to/from Rome or Naples. Our hotel was 75% less than in Sorrento, Italy. We've been back to Mexico three times since then and still consider it an excellent bargain.

julian3345

Apr 13, 2005, 6:45 AM

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Re: [Gayla] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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I fly often between Tijuana and Zacatecas on Mexicana. It is a daytime flight, going either way, of 2+ hours. After landing in Zacatecas, the flight eventually goes on to the Bajio landing at Leon. Ticket is about $400 RT but can be changed for only 70 pesos because it is a domestic flight! There is Greyhound service between San Diego and the TJ airport at a reasonable cost. I found out by mistake that if you get on the Greyhound bus to San Diego at the TJ airport, you don't pay fare until after you clear customs. Greyhound takes you from the airport to the customs building near the border. The customs bldg is located just across the street from the Trolley line, so instead of walking the other way to the bus terminal, I just took the Trolley! Most of the people taking the Greyhound are headed for LA and beyond, I gather. Happy trails. Joan

MG Rabon

Apr 13, 2005, 8:02 AM

Post #20 of 40 (1808 views)

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Re: [Gayla] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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Hi Gayla, I ran your trips through my favorite low-cost travel Website http://www.mobissimo.com and here is what I came up with in June.

San Diego to Guadalajara $455.38
TJ to Guadalajara $284.30 on a 10am flight on Aero California

San Diego to Mexico City $361.20
TJ to Mexico City $298.20 also on a morning flight

TJ to Morelia $383.00

If your travel dates aren't set in stone you can play with your arrival and departure dates and find that there are lower fares on certain days of the week, Wednesday is one of my favorite travel days.

Have fun!

Compórtate bien, y si no puedes, invítame!
MG Rabon

cristalhombre

Apr 13, 2005, 2:41 PM

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Re: [jimindetroit] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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Hey there Jiminmotown.....has it stopped snowing yet?

I get your point about the cost comparisons of Europe vs. Mexico......but there is nothing like riding a rented moped scooter from Sorrento, south along the Amalphi Coast highway as the sun is setting over the Tyrrhenian shoreline. Priceless!!

At the same time, I would not accept free airfare and lodging to return to Naples. I think a drive in downtown Detroit would be as exciting!

I truly enjoy Mexico and the "lakeside" area, but if Italy was a five hour flight from Portland, I think I would be studying Italian in lieu of Spanish, regardless of the dollars weakness. Italy is an amazing place!

Just my opinion........

Hasta amigo
Brad

"NOT ALL WHO WANDER ARE LOST...."

Bill in NC

Apr 14, 2005, 2:23 PM

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Re: [gpk] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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It's the airfare that's getting expensive, especially for us on the east coast.

The flight I prefer to Guad (via Atlanta, not Texas!) has increased about 30%
from last fall ($250+)

Last fall the B&B I wanted was full, so I rented a 2-bedroom, 2-bath house in Ajijic
for $85/night. It had a full kitchen and washer/dryer, which I used.

It was worth the extra money over a room. I will do the same next visit so I can pack fewer clothes.

Dinner for one in the most expensive place I was willing to walk to was under $15.

I think airfares to Mexico from the US are disproportionately high

Marta R

Apr 14, 2005, 8:41 PM

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Re: [Bill in NC] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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Given the rising cost of fuel, I suspect that we'll see airfares continue to skyrocket -- but it will still be cheaper to fly to Mexico, I would think, than to Europe. And in a pinch, there's always (shudder) a Greyhound bus.

Marta

Carol Schmidt

Apr 15, 2005, 8:39 AM

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Re: [chrisnmarta] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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Brad <I think a drive in downtown Detroit would be as exciting>, I have to say that being from Detroit originally, a drive in downtown Detroit can be very exciting indeed! I lived behind 10th Precinct off Livernois, and every night was exciting.

And Marta <in a pinch, there's always (shudder) a Greyhound bus>, I've taken Americanos buses from San Miguel to San Antonio and back, and it wasn't too bad. Yes, each way took something like 16 hours, but I was able to sleep most of it, and read a big chunk of the rest, and watch the same two silly movies that luckily were in English with Spanish subtitles both coming and going, so that I could work on my Spanish, the rest of the time. If the only way I could afford to get someplace was by bus, I'd do it rather than stay home.

Carol Schmidt, who just this morning put a relative on two buses to Mexico City (four hours total) to catch the plane there to save money

Marta R

Apr 15, 2005, 9:15 AM

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Re: [Carol Schmidt] Has Mexican Tourism Become Too Expensive?

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From what I've read on this forum, first-class Mexican busses are indeed great. What I meant (I tend to get unclear this late in the workweek) was to refer to U.S. long-distance busses. I haven't taken one in a long time, but the last time I did it was hot, dirty, crowded, the jakes stopped up, the windows were jammed shut, and I could feel each bump in the road as it collapsed another vertebra. Never again!

A good Mexican bus sounds like an entirely different story, and I look forward to riding on one.

Marta

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