Tulum, Q.R. — A excess of street vendors in Tulum has resulted in government operations to remove them. Waldemar Vega Ayala, Director of Commerce of Tulum, said that operations have been carried out along the coastal area after numerous complaints.
He says municipal officials have verified an increase in the vendors, who are often without permits. Vega said tours are being made in the Punta Piedra and the National Park where the illegal vendors are asked to leave since they do not have municipal permits to sell.
“We went to the National Park to verify the vendors because we received complaints,” he said noting that the park is a federal zone.
“At a later time, operations will be set up so as to avoid so many street vendors because the truth is that no one has been given permission to be in that area,” he said.
Local merchants with permits have reported the illegal vendors saying that their sales are suffering because of them. On any given day, around 50 illegal vendors are seen wandering the coastal areas selling everything from food to handicrafts.
Vega noted that a majority of these illegal vendors are traveling foreigners who finance themselves by selling.