Strange Cozumel Question...

[DandyDon]

Playa del Carmen and Cozumel are nothing like Cancun.

While that is true, PDC makes the news more and more with reports of violence. About all I hear from Cozumel are frequent home burglaries and occasional purse snatchings, with some exceptions. They are not immune to the trends, tho.

 

[CajunDiva]

Unless you are out trying to get in trouble, trouble will likely not find you. Cozumel is great...

 

[WetInPortland]

There are lots of potential moving parts that could explain the perceived slowdown. Here are my hypotheses on why tourists might be bypassing Cozumel, in no particular order:

• Conflating reports of violence in narco circles as violence against tourists. These are generally far removed from both Cozumel and tourist areas
  
• Misreporting and/or misunderstanding of the ferry explosion (which now appears to have been a simple case of attempted insurance fraud)
  
• Not understanding poor choices in cases of violence against tourists (as in, being out alone, drunk, in the wee hours, and then being mugged.)
• Conflating reports of severe sargassum on Mayan Riviera beaches with Cozumel (which generally gets much less)
• Reports (many that appear to be accurate) about excessive taxi fares and rental car company fees
  
• The natural ebb and flow of the economy. Mid-August through mid-November is the lowest of low season. It's when locals may be taking their own vacations, and some shops do close up during this time

 

[islanddream]

When we were in Coz last September, it was pretty quiet. I believe that fewer cruise ships come in during hurricane season. Also, many people who would fly to Cancun or Coz stay away during hurricane season. I found it refreshing not to have hoards of people when we visited.

 

[njones259]

Twenty plus years ago Cozumel was a very different place. In the scope of things it is in my opinion still very safe to visit. Many factors have changed the town namely AI's and corporate greed. The downtown 20 years ago was thriving and the square was full every night and so were the restaurants. I visited Cozumel 60 plus times over the years and probably will not be returning as I am no longer happy with the new Cozumel. I understand that Cozumel is a magnet but there are more interesting places with a better bang for the buck in my opinion.

 

[Frank Storms]

Twenty plus years ago Cozumel was a very different place. In the scope of things it is in my opinion still very safe to visit. Many factors have changed the town namely AI's and corporate greed. The downtown 20 years ago was thriving and the square was full every night and so were the restaurants. I visited Cozumel 60 plus times over the years and probably will not be returning as I am no longer happy with the new Cozumel. I understand that Cozumel is a magnet but there are more interesting places with a better bang for the buck in my opinion.

I would be interested in the places where you can get a “better bang for the buck”.
We have been coming to Cozumel for 25+ years and have been all over the
Caribbean and have yet to find a more cost effective diving destination than
Cozumel.

 

[WOODMAN]

I would be interested in the places where you can get a “better bang for the buck”.
We have been coming to Cozumel for 25+ years and have been all over the
Caribbean and have yet to find a more cost effective diving destination than
Cozumel.

I also am curious. Where do you think you can get a more interesting place with more value than Cozumel? At least without flying to the far Pacific?

 

[njones259]

To be honest I do spend much more time in the far Pacific. If you search carefully can usually find airfare out of NYC in the mid $400's. Not to far away one of my favorite places is Panama. Out of Santa Catalina off Coiba is world class and cheaper then Cozumel. Also Loreto Mexico in Baja is also world class and in the same price range of Cozumel. Not putting down Coz as I said I have been there over 60 plus times but as I have found there are more interesting places to see and dive in this world.

 

[kelemvor]

There are lots of potential moving parts that could explain the perceived slowdown. Here are my hypotheses on why tourists might be bypassing Cozumel, in no particular order:

• Conflating reports of violence in narco circles as violence against tourists. These are generally far removed from both Cozumel and tourist areas
  
• Misreporting and/or misunderstanding of the ferry explosion (which now appears to have been a simple case of attempted insurance fraud)
  
• Not understanding poor choices in cases of violence against tourists (as in, being out alone, drunk, in the wee hours, and then being mugged.)
• Conflating reports of severe sargassum on Mayan Riviera beaches with Cozumel (which generally gets much less)
• Reports (many that appear to be accurate) about excessive taxi fares and rental car company fees
  
• The natural ebb and flow of the economy. Mid-August through mid-November is the lowest of low season. It's when locals may be taking their own vacations, and some shops do close up during this time

Don't discount the factor of authorities and residents trying to downplay these issues and pretend if they aren't real.. an example would be your post. There was a bombing that killed tourists, there was very little response from the authorities, residents are saying "it's just a misunderstanding". I think the victims would disagree.

 

[Lorenzoid]

To be honest I do spend much more time in the far Pacific. If you search carefully can usually find airfare out of NYC in the mid $400's. Not to far away one of my favorite places is Panama. Out of Santa Catalina off Coiba is world class and cheaper then Cozumel. Also Loreto Mexico in Baja is also world class and in the same price range of Cozumel. Not putting down Coz as I said I have been there over 60 plus times but as I have found there are more interesting places to see and dive in this world.

Are you saying Loreto today is like Cozumel was 20 years ago, or are you just referring to places that you believe are good value--diving bang for the buck? I only know Loreto from 20 years ago, and it sure seemed like the proverbial sleepy fishing village then.

Coiba was interesting, but an apples to oranges comparison with Cozumel. It's really remote and rustic, and it's Pacific diving, not Caribbean. Again, I suppose you're just saying it's a good value for the quality of the diving?

I don't go to Cozumel just for the diving--it's the combination of diving and the Latin American culture that keeps me interested. So where are the Caribbean dive destinations where "the square is full every night," as you described Coz 20 years ago?