I disagree that speaking out won't change anything. You aren't going to see a sea change overnight but Cozumel responds to the laws of economics in the marketplace just like anywhere else. If enough tourists complain that it becomes a problem for business owners, and then in turn enough business owners complain that it becomes a problem for politicians, then perhaps some pressure will be applied. This entire thread started with a policy change (on paper) of adjusting the taxi exchange rate. You can bet they didn't just feel a pang of guilt and do that on their own.
As for people not coming, well that won't happen overnight either and it will not deter most people . If 10% or even 5% are deterred that translates to a lot of revenue lost. Who knows how many people stay in all inclusives or limit themselves to walking distances to avoid dealing with taxis? Aside from the cruise industry, Cozumel tourism doesn't seem to have grown much in the past decade or so.
Reputations take a long time to build and an even longer time to change. For example, mention Bonaire and many people will think "shore diving and petty theft". I've talked to people that have never been there and have ruled it out because of the rep for getting stuff stolen. Bonaire locals, expats and diehard fans will shout up and down that the rep is undeserved, that theft is not like it used to be and no worse than other similar destinations. It will be a long time, if ever, before that image changes.
As for people not coming, well that won't happen overnight either and it will not deter most people . If 10% or even 5% are deterred that translates to a lot of revenue lost. Who knows how many people stay in all inclusives or limit themselves to walking distances to avoid dealing with taxis? Aside from the cruise industry, Cozumel tourism doesn't seem to have grown much in the past decade or so.
Reputations take a long time to build and an even longer time to change. For example, mention Bonaire and many people will think "shore diving and petty theft". I've talked to people that have never been there and have ruled it out because of the rep for getting stuff stolen. Bonaire locals, expats and diehard fans will shout up and down that the rep is undeserved, that theft is not like it used to be and no worse than other similar destinations. It will be a long time, if ever, before that image changes.
