Chapala merchants agree that the good days were few, and the low days were really bad
This is what one of the more than one hundred fixed stalls on Chapala’s malecon looks like.
Jazmín Stengel. Chapala (JAL) : In the second year of the pandemic and few outdoor Christmas festivities, tourists did not visit Chapala as they did in previous years. Based on a series of interviews conducted with merchants of different trades during the first week of January in the downtown area of the municipal capital, Laguna found that few did well this season.
On December 24 the stores and sidewalks of Avenida Francisco I. Madero were full of people, but in spite of this most of the merchants reported that they sold less than in previous years. «Even last year with the pandemic we did better,» commented a young woman selling traditional winter fritters, while buying a glass of atole from her neighbor, who also complained of having sold only half of what she used to sell.
Members of the “Tianguis Navideño,” that was relocated to the main square of Chapala, also complained about the low sales. «The location was bad, and there was little support from the City Hall,» said Francisco (Paco) Mora. The line of businesses were visually blocked by the tianguis, so although access to their businesses remained, customers passed by.
On the malecon, the souvenir and accessory stalls also had the same complaint. «This year the holidays were not even felt,» said a woman preparing micheladas. However, the tourist areas were able to take advantage of holidays such as Christmas (December 25), December 31 and New Year’s Eve, when the food and beverage businesses achieved their highest sales of the season.
Among restaurateurs there were also differences. The diverse food places had many reservations from both Mexicans and Expats to celebrate Christmas Eve dinner on December 24, according to Laguna’s research along the boardwalk. Seafood restaurants were the most popular on December 25 and January 1, but none of them managed to surpass the sales of previous years.
«After two years locked up, we don’t even love each other anymore,” exclaimed a voice from Johnny’s Place, who also said that the families that have attended year after year have changed their customs.
Due to the cancellation of the presentations planned by the municipal government a few hours before the beginning of the New Year’s Eve celebration, many people ignored the health warning and looked for a pleasant place to continue the night, which filled almost all the bars in the area. Unfortunately, such nights were few and far between.
Those who suffered the least from this year’s losses were the hoteliers, who, although they did not manage to reach the occupacity of other years, did maintain a partially full capacity during the two weeks of vacations.
Translated by Sandy Britton
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