Tour Prices In This Charming City Near Los Cabos Have Been Capped With New Regulation

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Last Updated 11 months ago

It may have taken ten years of negotiations to finally work, but tour operators in La Paz have all agreed to a tourist-friendly initiative to make sure that the prices charged for popular adventure tours in the state capital are now all uniform.

The new regulation will increase transparency for tourists enjoying a vacation adventure in the popular town near Los Cabos. It will also ensure that tourists are not taken advantage of by price gouging from unscrupulous and aggressive vendors.

Standardized Boat Tour Prices

Just in time for the start of the whale shark tour season, the main operators in La Paz have come to a uniform agreement for one standard charge for tourists enjoying the very popular adventure tour.

Starting this month, it will cost tourists $1,600 Mexican Pesos, or about $93 at current rates, to enjoy the tour.

A combination tour including the islands and whale shark viewing will cost travelers about $3,000 pesos, or about $175.

The pricing will be different for adventure excursions including Balandra Bay. A boat tour of the protected bay area will cost visitors $1,300 Mexican Pesos for travelers, or about $76 for travelers.

Meanwhile, adding a trip to the whale sharks in with Balandra Bay will cost tourists $2,700 Mexican Pesos, about $157 at current exchange rates.

Better Tourist Service

A total of 35 tour operators and 40 tour sellers on the La Paz Boardwalk came to an agreement at the end of last month in response to a number of different allegations and complaints from tourists related to price gouging and aggressive sales tactics related to adventure boat tours.

In fact, several tourists have complained that they were harassed and bullied by vendors selling tour packages in La Paz until a purchase was made. Boat tour operators were concerned that the actions by “unlicensed” vendors were ruining the image of the industry with local tourists.

Many tourists to La Paz filed complaints with local law enforcement and municipal officials about their negative adventure boat tour booking experiences with salespeople and requested a fair resolution for fellow travelers and tour operators.

They came to the conclusion that standardizing the prices for the boat tours was a way to increase price transparency and improve customer service for tourists in the area.

However, there are operators that operate in other areas in La Paz, such as at the Waterfront, Marina La Paz, Marina Abaria, or in tourist offices in places like Costa Baja, who may not be following the standardized rates agreed upon by the Boardwalk vendors.

Hopefully other local vendors will join the standard pricing agreement in order to provide the best options and costs for travelers on their vacation getaway to the beach resort destination.

Good News for Travelers

The agreement to standardize rates for travelers hopefully is a significant step towards eliminating the harassment and bullying many travelers claimed to experience when walking along the boardwalk in La Paz. The same issue is causing concern in Los Cabos.

It should provide transparency for visitors to La Paz so that they can select providers based on reputation, added service provided or even the duration of the tour instead of simply the price. Reflecting on the price, it was close to what most tourists were paying for the excursions anyway.

Travelers can now book with confidence, although the rates that many tourists may pay through online booking may not match the boardwalk prices.

Tourists can now feel assured that if they find prices above the boardwalk standard price online or in other parts of La Paz, they can get the same tour for the fixed standard price at the La Paz Boardwalk vendors.