High season turnout

I heard from a friend that for many restaurants on the lake, customers are hard to come by. I was also talking to friends who own a hotel at the beach and they sais their occupancy rate was way down from previous years. So how do the members here see business at the lake? Up, down, same same as last year?

Although this season is just beginning and anything can happen over the next few months. I see this season so far as being as many or maybe a few more customers from NoB, but the Mexican business has dried up to a trickle this year.

It's so hard to say. I live in Ajijic and one of my local and purely subjective measures is the Tianguis because I live very close to it. All I know is I now have to get there earlier than I would prefer to avoid the goobers delightful visitors who help sustain the local economy.

Probably too early to tell, but right now it feels about like last year.

smint wrote:I heard from a friend that for many restaurants on the lake, customers are hard to come by. I was also talking to friends who own a hotel at the beach and they sais their occupancy rate was way down from previous years. So how do the members here see business at the lake?  Up, down, same same as last year?

The infra structure doesn't support the traffic!

"The infra structure doesn't support the traffic!" -- Jim W

It sure doesn´t.

I live in Chapala and notice a whole hell of a lot more Tapatios in town than ever before. On the weekends, they come by the busload. They leave a lot of money behind. The local economy seems to be doing quite well.

This conversation seems to errupt every year.  In fact, it's already been going on on this and other boards.  The sky is falling!  No it's not.  The restaurants we frequent are busy as ever.  The traffic is worse than ever.  Go figure.  

Right on David!

Different yardsticks tell you different things.
SuperLake is packed everyday; the Tuesday market at La Huerta...hard to get in the door; Walmart was busier than usual tonight.
Restaurants are touch and go as there are so many new ones that the pie is probably sliced too thin. The half dozen to ten really good ones always seem to get their share of customers, the mediocre and poor ones struggle to make ends meet.
I think the construction/building part of the economy is down and that is a good part of our local economy.
The one Pemex entity that I know, says volume is up from last year, so that means there are plenty of vehicles here.
My satellite TV guy says his business is up.
Hard to to tell about medical services as there are so many new medical facilities, dentists, farmacias, and the like that you don't know if there is the demand or just a glut of this type of services.
There are so many facets to (measure) the economy that I don't think anyone could give an entirely accurate prognosis.
In the exrtreme measure....Chapala, San Antonio Tlay, Ajijic, SJC, and Jocotepec are certainly not "ghost towns"....so there is hope.
BTW....Paz Licorería is busy everyday (and night), until closing time.   

Very good observations, Slainte.   

I've had to come east from SJC several mornings and I used to breeze through town when it was early. Last few times took over a half hour to get to the libramiento. Traffic in and out this way is very heavy every day, not just weekends which is usual.

Remember extranjeros are more than just US and Canadian citizens...lots of other nationalities around here too.
Across the street from me are two Mexican-Americans with an
Hispanic apellido and they don't have Mexican passports or IFE cards and are here on an IMN  permiso of some sort....so I guess they would have to be considered "extranjeros" (since they hardly ever speak Spanish   )

the bulk of ferners in the geography i mentioned are canuckleheads and yanquis.

Pedro wrote:the bulk of ferners in the geography i mentioned are canuckleheads and yanquis.

No argument there.

Seemed like an interesting topic so this thread has been cleaned up and returned to the civilized world.

 

It is very interesting. If you walk everywhere you get a different impression of Lakeside than if you drive around. Not making a comment just an observation. We do have problems crossing the highway which we do notice this time of year but that's about it.

I have the gut feeling business is about the same as last year from talking to the restaurant owners I know. Could the amount of money we
gringoes spend be down per person also?? Money just seems tighter all around but its gut feel and a few business opinions added.

Z

Observations and gut feelings are all anybody has. Yours sound right on.

It seems the traffic is very heavy and we went to the Wed. tianguis. It was so crowded we didn't bother trying to stand in line to buy an item. I am glad for the vendors but it was packed with people.

Zedinmexico wrote:
I have the gut feeling business is about the same as last year from talking to the restaurant owners I know. Could the amount of money we
gringoes spend be down per person also?? Money just seems tighter all around but its gut feel and a few business opinions added.

Z

I keep some good records of our expenses, and have noticed a significant jump over the past year.
This means that we do not go to restaurants as often nowadays. If others are feeling the same way, that may cause some owners to believe that there are less people around.
The traffic says otherwise.   

Several of the restaurants have really raised their prices in the last 6 months or so. It makes people think before they go to those restaurants.

Sadly, based on Intercasa's report requiring higher income levels than the preceding year, Mexico is becoming a not so affordable retirement destination. Several acquaintances have decided to search for another Meca, so to speak, as they do not have the required monthly income or cash on hand!

Yes the new laws have made it not so easy to live here for the gringos.

SNORK!

Jim W wrote:Sadly, based on Intercasa's report requiring higher income levels than the preceding year,  Mexico is becoming a not so affordable retirement destination.   Several acquaintances have decided to search for another Meca, so to speak, as they do not have the required monthly income or cash on hand!    

That's for anyone wanting to remain for more than 6 months at a time. Many snowbirds and even many full-timers go NoB every 4-6 months and don't require anything other than a tourist visa.

Living full-time as a foreigner in most countries, not all!, requires you to prove you're not a drain on society.