Around 70% of restaurant sales have decreased compared to the peak tourist years of 2022 and 2023, according to Juan Pablo Correa Ceballos, president of the Association of Restaurants in Valladolid Yucatán (ARVAY). This situation has led to a reduction of employment by up to 50%.
Carlos Guillermo Aguirre Aguilar, president of the Association of Restaurants and Gastronomic Services in Valladolid (RESERVA), stated that due to an over-supply in the restaurant industry, sales are low. Additionally, tourism has significantly decreased.
Correa Ceballos mentioned that tourism is not arriving as it did in the last three years, except for 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The lack of interest from the Mexican government’s 4T (Fourth Transformation) to promote Mexico, which even closed all its promotion offices around the world, has also contributed to the low tourism flow.
Pandemic had a devastating impact on Valladolid’s tourism
Correa Ceballos recalled that this city started its tourist boom in 2012 after being named Pueblo Mágico (Magical Town), and growth was gradual until 2019 when foreign investments began arriving. The pandemic brought everything to a halt, but by 2021, the tourist boom resumed, with thousands of people eager to go on vacation.
Although tourists were arriving, it could also be considered an illusion, as no one knew what would happen in the years that followed. By 2019 to date, the flow of tourism in the city and region has decreased by 50%, while sales have fallen much more.
He stated that 70% of tourists are Europeans, with the rest being American, but now other countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, among others, are promoting their destinations, taking advantage of the opportunity. As a result, the flow of tourism has decreased significantly, leading to job losses and reduced working hours.
To compensate for the low flow, each restaurant owner is trying independently to promote their business, while ARVAY has announced some projects to attract tourists to the city at least until next year, including an international modeling festival and a digital promotion campaign from Cancún. However, more products and improved tourist services are needed.
