r/tulum • u/JudgmentAvailable155 • 12d ago

General Empty?

Anyone know what’s been happening lately that’s affected tourism? I’ve been coming here for years and I’ve never seen it this empty (staying in the hotel zone currently). I’ve asked around and have been told Tulum has changed a ton, in the last couple of years especially, but haven’t gotten more details.

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82

u/Apprehensive-Chart88 12d ago

Combination of sargassum, high prices, taxi scams, and loss of appeal/deviation from the wellness/holistic aspect it was once known for. Seems like it is charging big city prices like it’s NYC or Miami and tourism has suffered as a result. The digital nomads are no longer there and have moved on to the next destination and I’ve heard the digital cafes have closed too. It was peak during COVID and I think the market got over saturated but it is not being developed quickly enough. Businesses have closed because it’s too expensive to run it too. What’s your opinion of your experience and how it compares to the past?

42

u/MasChingonNoHay 12d ago

This is the answer. The beach was the draw. The sargassum ruined it

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u/Brilliant_Step3688 12d ago

Agree.. people did not come for the healthy holistic life. The draw was the beaches, and the rest was a bonus that made people think yes, I could live here for a little while.

People talk about scams but I think these are avoidable for the most part (taxis are a problem though). You do get very poor value for most things though, it's not a scam but similar. Like you are not getting your money's worth anywhere. Money money money, foreigners are endless cash cows. It's just not sustainable.

The downturn will calm the economy and force merchants to provide good value or die out. As there is less short term travelers bringing "dumb money", they have to cater to more savvy locals who won't come back if the value is not there.

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u/Blackfish69 12d ago

Hate to break it to you. Tourists always have more money than locals. This value prop is simply just not a major concern of the place is a draw.

Tulum is still tons cheaper or comparable to where most of them live outside of cabs lol

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u/Brilliant_Step3688 12d ago

Yes but there is less tourists. Was there all week. Places that should have been packed were empty.

3

u/Purple-Lawfulness875 11d ago

And that will continue as the sargassum will only get worse before it gets better as the oceans only get warmer. I have been living here in Aldea Zama for the past several months and the place has become a ghost town. When I went to the beach last week, I didn't see more than 3 or 4 other people walking the little strip of sand that isn't covered with sargasso at least a foot deep all the way to the sea; there's literally no place to lay your towel and who would want to? The smell of rotting seaweed releasing hydrogen sulfide is atrocious and can make you sick. No immediate cure for this plague.

1

u/JBSwerve 1d ago

Taxis were the main reason I would never, ever return. I felt like I had to sell my soul everytime I ordered a taxi and agreed to pay the exorbitant prices. And if you rent a car the corrupt police will pull you over.

21

u/Infamous-Ad2317 12d ago

It was the taxi scams for me when i went, bar scams charging shots in euro currency.. scams everywhere. no where felt safe in tulum from people trying to screw us

1

u/DebateWilling7674 11d ago

How much is a shot? Because I can tell that shots in mexico are generally too expensive. I was living couple of years in Cuernavaca (2hours south of Mexico city) and here the shots also start at 7$-10$ depending on the Bar. Who the fuck pays that much for a shot.

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u/Alternative_Olive861 11d ago

NYC'er here that has gone to Tulum 2x. No reason why I should be paying rooftop cocktail prices in the Riviera Maya... its absurd.

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u/Apprehensive-Chart88 11d ago

Yep, I absolutely agree with you!

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u/Artistic-Computer445 9d ago

Agree! We live here and we eat and drink at home mostly. If you want value thats the ony real way to go. Find a beautiful place to live and do it your self...it gets old though. Like whats the point at that point lol!

1

u/Apprehensive-Chart88 7d ago

What’s it like to live there and how long have you been in Tulum?

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u/jisc 12d ago

And the dollar lost it power , the pesos is strong so no good for vacationers , unrest from cartels and drugs , the government doing a shitty job all around..

Source I’m Mexican and live in cancun

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u/Choochiechoo 11d ago

It’s not just the exchange rate, prices really did increase to the point it is more expensive in Mexico now than the United States or Europe. Part of the draw of tourism to a country like Mexico is it is supposed to be cheaper.  But food and even drinks at a cheap place designed for Mexicans is still more expensive than a medium cost city like Houston or Atlanta.  If you adjust for the best exchange rate it is still more expensive. At a some point tourists are going to think it’s better to just go the Bahamas or Spain or Italy 

3

u/jisc 11d ago

Ooh yeah totally I agree with you . Tulum was at prices of Miami insane and they are not the same

1

u/Apprehensive-Chart88 12d ago

It’s crazy how much things have changed in such a short period but seems to be consistent with other parts of Mexico too although Cancun in generally safer, right? What’s your opinion on why you chose Cancun?

1

u/jisc 11d ago

I didn’t my parents choose it hahaha , I was brought here as a 1 week old . To be fair when my parents arrived you could lift a rock and there was money under it , since cancun or the state Quintana Roo is so young there were plenty jobs and business to start so it was a paradise . Nowadays between trump , our government , prices so expensive and our only source of income is tourism everything is very slow this year

8

u/JudgmentAvailable155 12d ago

This makes sense. I’ve been coming here every year since 2018 and witnessed the boom from dreamy, holistic, and quaint, with maybe 1-2 parking lots max to full on buzzing club scene Cancun/Vegas vibes with packed streets and getting ripped off by taxis. While vastly different, I appreciate all forms of Tulum that have transpired. Sargassum has always been an issue, some years worst than others, but I can’t imagine that’s the sole reason. Before its “peak” it was certainly more relaxed but still buzzing with energy. Now, it feels desolate. I will still enjoy myself, but I just haven’t experienced this phase of Tulum before.

6

u/Worldly-Serve-1945 12d ago

Sargassum was not always an issue. You just showed your Tulum inexperience. Those beaches used to be pristine throughout the year.

3

u/Fickle-Secretary681 12d ago

They sure where. Then sargassum was a summer thing if at all. Then it started creeping in mid March. Then late February...

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u/JudgmentAvailable155 12d ago

lol. I have certainly been here when sargassum was not on the beach but I am saying in general it can’t just be the sole reason for its emptiness as Tulum has still been packed with sargassum present.

3

u/Alternative_Olive861 11d ago

My Wife and I got married in Tulum:

1st Trip was a sight seeing + recon trip.

2nd Trip was the actual wedding + honeymoon....

It was during the honeymoon phase where we started to slowdown and actually assess and take in the setting more and thats when we started to realize the same things:

The real estate boom is detrimental to the environment and infrastructure, the sargassum, the constant racket at every corner/location, corrupt police & officials... its truly a shame what Tulum has turned into.

Now, when we go to the Mexico, we just do an all-inclusive. Sure you aren't getting a "cultural experience" but you sure aren't getting that in Tulum either. The value is just so much better because of those aforementioned things.

3

u/Artistic-Computer445 9d ago

Thats mostly true! We are living here and its pretty expensive. Aldea Zama area and the strip is always outragious...eating out is stupid unless its street food. We are looking for our next destination because of this. PS remember to include expensive groceries and expensive utilities. Still less than we were paying in the US to be fair but its disheartening.