Although this scheme has brought benefits to the local economy, it also represents a problem due to the saturation of spaces and the collapse of public services, mainly drainage
Mazatlán, Sin.- The increase in tourists to Mazatlán in recent years has triggered the construction of dozens of real estate projects to use as vacation rentals.
And although they have brought benefits to the economy, they also represent a problem for the city due to the saturation of spaces and the collapse of public services, mainly drainage.
Currently, Mazatlán has an offer of 21 thousand rooms, both traditional hotels and vacation rentals, but it is the rapid growth of this last segment that turns on the red lights in the destination, since there is no regulation in construction or prices.
According to the 2023 Summer Tourist Satisfaction survey, applied by the Tres Islas Hotel Association, there are 13,500 hotel rooms in the city, 7,500 units in formal vacation rentals and 2,000 more of an informal nature.
The popularity that platforms such as Booking and Airbnb have acquired has caused this rapid takeoff of vacation rentals.
In addition, more than 5,000 apartments in towers and 1,832 hotel rooms are currently being built, which will be added to the inventory.
Comfortable and practical
The president of the Association of Tourist Real Estate Developers, José Carlos Palacios Jáuregui, indicated that there are 5,412 apartments that are in the process of construction and that 50 percent of them are already sold.
It is expected that in a period of 24 months these units will be delivered and in operation.
“Starting in July, several interesting projects are coming for the destination and investing in an apartment in Mazatlán is a good option, since people from outside buy their beach house and locals do it for vacation rentals,” he said.
This business model has changed and the first factor that the developer thinks about is the comfort of the client, from inside their apartment as well as outside.
What sells the most in Mazatlán are units with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a surface area between 90 and 110 square meters.
“Customers must be offered amenities that are comfortable and practical, that help them relax, and within the apartment, look for comfortable areas, not too large,” he stressed.
Lack of regulation
The president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Services and Tourism of Sinaloa, Miguel Hernández Fonseca, considered that vacation rentals are a globalized issue that is here to stay, because it is consumed all over the world.
“The offer in accommodations has already been surpassed by more than 50 percent by vacation rentals and ultimately it is the customer who chooses their best option, however, there must be regulation in Sinaloa,” he emphasized.
The businessman recalled that for some years they have sought through a Real Estate Law, that in this business format everyone has the same opportunity and equal conditions.
“We ask the next legislature to have a regulation, so that we have the same opportunities to be able to compete both the conventional hotel and the regulated vacation rental, each one paying the taxes that correspond to them and that it is the tourist who chooses,” he affirmed.
What we want to avoid is what happened in Acapulco, where uncontrolled growth, among other problems, was what ended one of the most important tourist destinations in Mexico.
“Part of the problem, among other things in Acapulco, was the uncontrolled growth that occurred precisely in vacation rentals, where for example if I had an unoccupied house anywhere in the city, I would upload it to a platform and rent it without paying any kind of tax, and of course that is not a level playing field for everyone,” he said.
FACT
5,412 apartments are under construction in Mazatlán
7,500 units for formal vacation rentals
2,000 units for informal vacation rentals
Source: elsoldemazatlan
