The crowds seem to be smaller this year but more affluent than we have seen in the past. All the prices for food,
drink and lodging hit new highs for
those
dependent on local stores and markets. The Delegation Municipal posted notices
to inform people that driving vehicles on the beaches, bringing glass bottles,
leaving garbage, building fires and bringing animals that foul the beaches (horses and dogs?) are prohibited and can bring significant
fines (10 to 500 times the minimum daily salary in Mexico city- which is
about $5 dollars).
These notices were universally ignored and the municipality probably lost an
estimated $50-100 thousand dollars by not having the police force to enforce the law.The vehicular traffic on the beach is a major cause of erosion of the dunes and is a significant noise and safety problem for all the residents of the beach communities. The roar of the exhaust from 2-strokes in the middle of the night is a major problem in getting a good nights sleep, particularly at this time of year when it is so pleasant to try to sleep with the windows open.
San Felipe is at an important juncture in its development. Retirement living and the related real estate development and construction in the region is now by far the most important source of overall income of the municipality. This new segment is now running at around $100 million per year, which dwarfs the income to the town brought in by the traditional tourism ($10 million), fishing sectors ($5million) and activities such as the Baja 250 ($1-2 million) of the market. If San Felipe is to be made into a major location for the foreign retiree it must start to cater to the needs of these people with much better environmental, safety and security enforcement. Tourism can also benefit by emphasis on more ecologically friendly activities, rather than having people put life and limb at risk by endlessly roaring up and down the beaches. The Sea of Cortez is fundamental to the success of San Felipe and we must do everything possible to restore its health. Without the sea and pristine beaches, San Felipe would just be another desert town like Yuma or El Centro and it would have no advantage over such places in developing economically.