Los Cabos Authorities Increasing Beach Inspections To Protect Tourists

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Last Updated 3 months ago

Most people heading to Los Cabos for their holiday expect to experience one of the most luxurious vacations of their lives. 

With stunning all-inclusive resorts regularly ranked among the best in the country, fine-dining restaurants where world-renowned chefs serve their latest creations, and 25-blue-flag certified beaches to choose from, visitors here seek the ultimate luxurious holiday. 

But this Mexican municipality is now experiencing a problem that is making it more difficult for foreigners heading here to fully enjoy their vacation. 

According to local news, over 2,000 street vendors, most of whom are unauthorized, are now crowding Los Cabos’ most popular beaches. So, what is the government doing to solve this issue?

A new initiative to deal with unauthorized street vendors

In light of these alarming numbers, the Head of Municipal Fiscal Inspection, Luis Ovidio Marroquín Gómez, declared that more controls will be carried out on Los Cabos’ beaches. 

Even though there are already several inspectors checking whether vendors selling their services in these areas have the right documentation to do so, the local government has decided to increase the number of patrols. 

According to Luis Ovidio Marroquín Gómez, operations will be gradually reinforced for the Spring Break season so that the situation will hopefully be under control by then. 

The current situation

In a recent interview, Luis Ovidio Marroquín Gómez declared: “We know that we have a fairly large influx on the beaches of our beautiful municipality. Especially on the beaches of Cabo San Lucas, in the Médano area, the regulation indicates 695 vendors.”

He later continued by stating that despite having regulated 695 street vendors in the Los Cabos municipality, people offering their services in this area are way more. 

“[This number] has easily increased by approximately 200 percent. We are already reaching 2,000 street vendors who do not have regularization through the municipality,” said the Head of Municipal Fiscal Inspection.

Some of Los Cabos’ most popular beaches are already patrolled by inspectors checking whether vendors in the area are authorized or not, but in light of the recent alarming numbers, it has become clear that more needs to be done to solve this issue. 

In this regard, Luis Ovidio Marroquín Gómez declared: “We have two guards already deployed in the area of ​​the entire Médano from the Riu Hotel to the Bahía Hotel who are in charge of doing walking tours to verify that all the vendors who are in the area have their permits.”

He later continued: “If they do not show their municipal permit to carry out commerce in the beach area, they are invited to leave the area. If this person is already a recurring person, an inspection report is drawn up, in order to seize their merchandise. They are [then] taken to the tax inspection office and there the record is graded in an administrative procedure.”

According to Luis Ovidio Marroquín Gómez, the fine for selling illegal services and deals in Los Cabos can now range from 1,500 to 1,600 pesos. This is roughly equal to $87 – $93.

Hopefully, the new initiative aiming at increasing the number of controls in Los Cabos’ most popular areas ahead of the Spring Break season will lead to a general improvement. 

Is Los Cabos safe? 

Considering the many vendors offering their services illegally, tourists soon heading to Los Cabos may now be wondering whether this area is safe. Luckily, the answer is yes. 

The local authorities are constantly trying their best to warn tourists about the latest scams in the area, giving guidelines to follow to avoid frauds.

Despite this, it’s important to remember that these are not that common in the Los Cabos municipality, considering that report after report keeps ranking this area as one of the safest in Mexico. 

In other words, tourists heading here can simply relax and enjoy their holiday without worrying too much about their safety.