Beach vendors being removed from our beaches

I would like to request input on an issue that has recently come to a head in our community on Jaltemba Bay i.e. Guayabitos, La Peñita and Los Ayala in Nayarit.

Federal officials have begun to enforce regulations which prohibit food carts on the beach. Since this is the only way that the vendors can transport their goods to the beach, enforcement of the regulation would essentially remove them from the beach. The justification for the move is that beach litter will be reduced.

The local hotel association is circulating a petition which asks support for a central food market for these vendors to sell their wares. You can read the full story here: http://jaltembajalapeno.com/lang/en/2010/07/09/beach-vendors-theatened/ .  Although it does not say so the petition will probably be interpreted as support for removing the vendors from the beach.

We are collecting opinions and experiences in the comment section of the above article. The comments will be compiled and presented to the Hotel Association by our local community service organization, Los Amigos de La Peñita, so they have a clear picture of how tourists view the issue. The Jalapeño, the local news site hosting the article, has not taken a public stand on the issue to avoid biasing the opinions collected, neither has the Los Amigos executive.

If you could give us your opinion or share a similar experience in your community that would be very helpful. Does your community have beach vendors? If not do you remember the community when it did have them? Do you feel that removing beach vendors will reduce beach litter?

If you don't have time to write it would also be helpful if you would take the time to answer the pole we are running on the local forum, Jaltemba Bay Folk. http://members5.boardhost.com/CasaLibertad/msg/1278744575.html


Remember: Opinion poles are like blood test. You don't have to study for them its just what's inside you.

This issue doesn't really apply to our area as we don't have a beach as you do on the coast where people can go out on the sand by the water's edge. Even though a lot of our Mexican friends call going to Lake Chapala as "going to the beach" the water comes right up to the boardwalk. We do have vendors on the malecon but I've never seen a problem with trash.