Los Cabos is growing rapidly and business representatives are worried the many businesses and local in the city are getting left behind without thought. While tourism is the largest sector of the Los Cabos economy, ignoring the citizens that live there could lead to a collapse of the city itself.
Concern regarding local issues
Several local leaders and business representatives have come forward to voice their concern for the direction of Los Cabos. They are happy with the population growth and booming economy, but are worried money is only going to outside investors and not local citizens.
Blanca Pedrin Torres, a businesswoman from San Jose del Cabo, said that urban development should not continue without planning in the city. The worry is that only hotel/resort outsiders prosper from this period, but not local citizens who have lived here their whole lives. She does not want what happened in Cancun to happen to Los Cabos.
Development not planned for the community
Torres knows many people look to Los Cabos for a safe, quiet, enjoyable destination during the pandemic. But the city of Los Cabos is failing its citizens because of the unorganized development.
Torres states, “We are all, including myself, responsible for overlooking who is in charge. The future of this destination is in the developer’s and hotel industries’ hands and no one else’s. Permits, concessions, and authorizations have been granted where there is enormous inequality.”
This pattern cannot continue if officials are to consider Los Cabos’s health and economic future. The foundation for success of all developments and hotels is the workforce. However, their needs and demands aren’t being met. Considering the growth rate of Los Cabos is around 18%, citizens living in the area should be included to account for success.
Where Los Cabos is lacking
According to certain local officials, disorderly and unchecked development has increased poverty in some sectors. The results have exacerbated problems in Los Cabos, such as problems with infrastructure, roads, and especially water issues. While they are building new hotels and resorts with no delay, local issues are being ignored.
When asked about it, Torrest commented, “We are completely in a lag in terms of water and treatment plants.
An aqueduct must carry all the treated water throughout the tourist corridor because we continue to use well water in areas. Meanwhile, some golf courses and areas with planters are being irrigated with drinking water.”
For too long now development of the tourist corridor has caused the city’s population to remain in the background. Officials in the town do not want Los Cabos to go the route of other large tourist centers like Cancun, Tulum, and Quintana Roo. According to Los Cabos officials, those three tourist centers are dominated by hoteliers, developers, and large predators who don’t respect any local population.
Local needs are the same as tourist’s needs
Local officials say infrastructure delays are impacting citizens and tourists. The local water treatment has been an issue for over a decade and is in desperate need of an overhaul.
The road systems in Los Cabos have received sharp criticism over the last several years. As the population has grown rapidly, so have traffic issues, road breakdowns, and the quality of roadways. Traffic has been a growing complaint of citizens and tourists. These shortcomings seem to indicate the need to improve basics for both citizens and tourists.
