Los Cabos Removing Unauthorized Vendors From Beaches

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Last Updated 1 year ago

If you have been out of the country and gone anywhere outside your resort, chances are you have been approached by local vendors.

At first, it’s humorous and you have a fun exchange of ” no thanks, I don’t need that” to “I’ll come back later”.

But after a while, you simply just want to enjoy your trip without being bothered. Those pleasantries can quickly change when the approaching becomes a nuisance while simply trying to enjoy your vacay.

Although vendors are simply doing their job and trying to support themselves and their families, there is a right way to go about it.

Los Cabos officials are stepping in to remove certain vendors from its gorgeous beaches. Unfortunately, tourists have been complaining about the overload of unlicensed vendors.

Cabo has taken steps to remove them so tourists can go about their vacation in peace.

1,200 Umbrellas Removed

There’s a Rihanna joke here somewhere, but we’ll stick to the facts. Across Los Cabos’ stunning coastline, vendors are renting out umbrellas and beach chairs.

Many have skipped a key step. That being obtaining proper authorization to become a seller. Officials have inserted themselves to stop tourists from being harassed by unauthorized vendors.

Of course, some sunny days require shade, and what better solution than a beach umbrella? Obviously, some tourists have caved and given these vendors their business. Otherwise, they wouldn’t keep trying.

Cabo officials have removed a total of over 1,200 umbrellas as of this week since many vendors were not in legal standing to provide this service.

“The problem about umbrellas, we have touched on it here, definitely exists. I can tell you that it has been decreasing over the years. I want to tell you that many people who are there take advantage of the fact that it is a federal zone; many times they do not depend on the municipality.”

– Director of Tax Inspection, Samuel Cisneros Peruyero.

Mr. Peruyero continued, “They take advantage of this to be able to market these products. Despite this, we have carried out the operations in coordination with the Secretary of the Navy and other agencies…”

Tourists Complaints

Los Cabos’ economy thrives on tourism, so it’s very important to keep tourists happy. The fewer complaints, the more word of mouth brings in even more visitors.

Tourists, unfortunately, have had enough of being pestered while trying to simply enjoy their beach days.

It remains to be seen if this will be a persistent problem; as Mr. Peruyero also pointed out, this has been a continuous cycle throughout the year.

Even though local officials have made a hard push to end this unauthorized service, there are still loopholes.

With over 1,200 umbrellas being removed, some vendors are still slipping through the cracks by buying up more umbrellas and coming back after officials leave the beach.

Officials have even resulted in enforcing over 300 fines on these unlicensed sellers, but that hasn’t fully stopped some vendors from coming back.

There is a growing movement to implement more forces along Cabo’s most popular beaches to ensure this illegal practice ends once and for all.

How Tourists Can Help

We have all taken a vacation and forgotten something at home. You get to your room, open your bags and realize “Oh no, I forgot my deodorant! Now nobody will want to be around me!”.

In all likelihood, the front desk at your resort has you covered. The same can be said for beach vacations, except you probably didn’t bring an umbrella or beach chair on your flight.

That’s how these vendors tempt you by offering just a little bit more comfort for your beach stay—big umbrellas to block the sun, cozy chairs to relax, and maybe even beach towels.

It’s easy to see how these vendors make decent cash from tourists, whether they have permits or not. Simply asking to see their permit can help clear the beaches of unlicensed vendors over time.

This also helps keep honest businesses open that went through the process of obtaining a required permit.

Also, Cabo has a plethora of shops to buy whatever beach equipment you need without having to be pestered on the beach.