Deleting and Closing A Thread

Here in Maine many/most jobs are in the service industry. I suspect many other US states are similar. We've closed the mills and shoe shops. Factories? Nah... too dirty. Incredibly a salmon fish farm has met with continued resistance - a "green" industry if ever there was one.
I've been visiting Mexico since 1999 - what a huge change in those 22 years. Horses, tractors,bicycles were the primary modes of transportation then. Now many of those people own cars or small motorcycles. The standard of living has greatly improved.
Every year we return to Mexico I marvel at the changes that have taken place in the previous year. A selfish part of me hates to see Mexico change but I am happy to see Mexican families advancing economically.
If one considers the changes since Jack Kerouac roamed around Mexico the past 70 years has seen tremendous changes. Here in Maine (and many other US states) the trajectory is not so promising.

Sad to rely on tourism? Dead end job?

I lived on the Riviera Maya for 15 years. Tourism provides tens of thousands of jobs for the no-skill workers from the jungle. All those chamber maids at the resorts have supervisors. Those supervisors have managers. Now you have a middle class, home ownership, and nice newer cars. The manual laborer from the pueblo in the jungle, now has a block home with electricity and running water, his children get an education and move up the economic ladder.

Without tourism there would be zero jobs there, as the covid pandemic showed last year.

Why do Rv'ers have to educate themselves about Mexico politics? What can vacationers do about MX politics? Vote with their wallet by boycotting? That won't help. I am a long time resident and I don't get involved in MX politics.

When I lived in Paamul, the park would fill up with domestic tourists camping/RV during Xmas and Semana Santa. Xpu Ha filled up too. These "locals" were paying 300+p a night for a piece of dirt on the beach. It is a lot cheaper than the 4000p for that hotel room 50 yards away.

You are correct that it is a niche market and will remain that way for the foreseeable future.

As we all know, RVing in Mexico is a totally different adventure than RVing NOB. You MIGHT have a thousand RV's traveling around Mexico today with little to no services for them (that is part of the adventure). You have a couple thousand RV's in Quartzsite and a couple thousand more in Yuma with all the services you could want. Why come south of the border?

Tourism is not a "sad" industry. Mexico has great attractions, offers great hospitality to visitors, and attracts BILLIONS of $$$$'s a year. Mexico does a good job at tourism.

Mexico's reliance on remittance is "sad".

Sad we have to rely on tourism. Tourism is a dead-end for many workers not to mention the low wages dictated by tourists. The country needs educated 21st-century minds that will be able to compete with China and India, not in the future but now, in areas of renewable energies, technologies, entrepreneurialism which the new government is looking down upon and attempting to put an end to (all of the above). We need to educate ourselves on the country we are rving in and find out what has passed, happening now and where it will lead us in the future or there won't be any rving.

Selling baskets and trinkets next to a train subsidized and run by the government, the horse pulling the mill around to make agua de miel, farmers planting seed by hand and plowing with a horse, now that is draconian and only holds the country back (these things are being promoted by the new government).

As for the growing Mexican rv market, show me a local that is willing to pay 300 pesos or more a night for a spot in an rv park. It's not going to happen. It's a niche industry and has been for decades.

Had the three countries worked together from the beginning and not been so selfish, most of this would have never happened. But here we are and I have almost 1 million reasons why just between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.

I am glad that the 3 countries are not playing by the same rules. The USA and Canada covid rules are/can be draconian while not following the "science". At least most of Mexico seems to living a normal life now.

I believe there shouldn't be any covid travel restrictions at the border, ZERO, NONE, NADA. Especially the so called vaccine passports. There is no need for them.

Many Americans are tired of the BS regulations. The are starting to rebel. I would hope my Canadian cousins would do the same.

Tourism in Mexico will not recover until all restrictions in the USA and Canada are lifted.

As far as RV'ing is concerned, it will only grow as more Mexicans enter that lifestyle. Mexican RV'ing is in it's infancy but it is growing.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1488625514566903

Chris:

Correct. I can't argue with that.

The EU will likely fall apart, too. Its every country for themselves vis restrictions of every pandemic-related strategy.

I would hope that some land crossing coherence could be worked out, at least between / vis-a-vis the US and Canada.

Maybe if the three countries had played by the same rules we wouldn't have this problem with border crossings and passports.

T-Mec is slowly falling apart for the same reasons, Mexico doesn't want to play by the rules already violating 12 articles in the pact.

playaboy wrote:
Then you look at the "over the top" Canadian restrictions (I am not Canadian, they can do what they choose). The covid travel restrictions are just plain BS. Until freedom of movement is restored, your government will become part of your decision in where you travel to.

....Canadian here. And, a proponent of rapid vaccinations deployment.

Agree that Canadian Fed travel measures are, um, unsophisticated, and far too generalized. With all the vaccines deployed in the US and Canada (in Canada: 6.3 million doses), no "travel vaccination passport" plan yet exists for Canadians traveling southbound by road, so this precludes any Canadians RVing to Mexico. Even returning Snowbirds driving into or flying back to Canada who have had their entire 2 shot course of Covid innocs, are not recognized by Canadian authorities as "safe" (report this week here).

Both Florida and Texas have banned "vaccination passports" for proving vaccination inter-State. But this is different from requiring international (Mexico? Canada?) vaccination passports.

A lot of great points have been brought up here. RV park amenities, crime, fuel costs and travel restrictions all come into play.

I normally won't post anything about safety or crime. It is such a ****-shoot. It is not just the border. It not just foreign license plates.

I live in Mexico. My vehicles are Mexican plated. I consider myself a seasoned traveler on the roads of Mexico. In the last year I got ripped off to the tune of $700USD by government officials. $200 direct "request" to cross south with a trailer load and a $500 robbery at a FGR/PGR checkpoint. Corruption has always been part of life in Mexico, it is everywhere not just at the border.

Flying is ok but land crossings a no no by non US citizens? Testing needed by air but not for land? Then you look at the "over the top" Canadian restrictions (I am not Canadian, they can do what they choose). The covid travel restrictions are just plain BS. Until freedom of movement is restored, your government will become part of your decision in where you travel to.

The RGV is hurting big time with high numbers of covid deaths, lack of winter Texans and no shoppers from Mexico.

So far Mexico has been lightly restrictive which makes it attractive to vacationers living under the thumb of their leaders.

Great comments esp by Chris and Moisheh that reflect why another trip SOB is not in our plan. We loved every trip and never had an incident. I'm very much of a geezer now and not as adventurous anymore. Large parts of the US and Canada remain unexplored by us with no hassle so that's now our focus.

Great to see a thread of this nature that doesn't go off the rails. Hope it stays that way.

The border is an ugly issue, and although I'm not holding my breath for changes, needs to seriously be addressed.

Hopefully Playaboy will jump in, but it sounds seriously like those that can cross legally are allowed to. If not, THEY SHOULD BE!!!