Los Cabos Cracks Down On Beach Vendors: What Tourists Need to Know

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Last Updated 2 weeks ago

Travelers to Los Cabos are very familiar with the informal business tradition on the area’s beaches.

For those not familiar with the term, it is connected with the vendors walking the beaches selling everything from food and drinks to hats and handmade jewelry.

Some travelers love the experience of haggling with the vendors on the beach. However, on the flip side, complaints are continuing to come in from travelers having more negative than positive experiences with the vendors.

Because of this, published reports are saying that the municipality in Los Cabos is starting to take steps to eliminate the process all together and only allow those who are permitted to operate on beaches, though it is unlikely that they will ever be able to completely stop the tradition.

Crack Down to End the Process

Complaints from tourists on social media and a general security concern about vendors on Los Cabos’ beaches are leading the municipality to take additional measures to end the practice of unlicensed retailers on local beaches.

This covers the standard sales of products and services from unlicensed walking vendors, as well as the rental of beach chairs and umbrellas.

“It was agreed to address the issue of some complaints of occupation of the beach area by businesses such as the location of umbrellas, sale of alcohol, or other activities on the coast that do not seem to have any regulation or permit, which obviously does not help with order at all,” said Julio Castillo Gómez, executive president of the Coordinating Council of Los Cabos in a published report on the topic.

Safety and Security

According to Los Cabos municipal officials, the vendors on the beaches are leading to the insecurity travelers feel when visiting the area for a vacation getaway to the sun, sand, and surf in the region.

Because of its popularity, El Medano Beach seems to be the location with the most complaints from tourists.

Los Cabos has already been facing a number of visitor perception changes related to transportation and cleanliness, and it does not need any additional tourist concerns from insecurity related to vendors.

Expanding the Enforcement

To start the year, the enforcement actions focused on often unlicensed businesses on and near the beaches of Los Cabos, such as massage tents, street vendors, and several recently opened pharmacies.

Local officials said that they plan to focus on enforcement at the same level in those businesses in addition to the beach vendors walking on the beaches.

They will concentrate specifically in the tourist area to ensure the safety and security of travelers enjoying their vacation getaways in the sun, sand, and surf of Los Cabos.

Baja California Sur, which includes the cities of Los Cabos, remains at Level 2 – Exercise Increased Caution on the United States Department of State travel advisory level.

The rating is based upon the crime level in the area, although there are no travel restrictions for federal government employees in the region.

What Travelers Need to Know

Tourists should be aware that the municipality is actively working to reduce the number of issues and complaints travelers face when visiting the area.

They are working to locate the problems that tourists are concerned with and focus on making sure that travelers visit Los Cabos and enjoy their vacation getaway.

Travelers should continue to provide key feedback on issues that concern them in Los Cabos to make sure the issues are properly recognized and addressed.

Without the input of travelers, changes can’t be made that concern travelers most and would have the biggest impact on improving the guest experience when visiting Los Cabos.

What other changes do you think are needed to improve the tourist experience in Los Cabos?