Why does Cancun seem to have a reputation of a tourist destination that tends to attract the ‘trashy’ tourists from the USA, even though there is a lot of historical significance to the location with the ruins and pyramids that should attract the more cultured tourists?
Is there a reason why places like the Bahamas or DR not have the same connotation?
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Because it’s cheap, accessible, and has catered to US tourists for a long time. It was created, essentially out of nothing, to be a tourist destination.
This is unlike most other parts of the Caribbean that stood on their own merits and then tourism began to intrude.
Bali-same thing for Aussies
Lots of people go to get drunk and hangout on the beach, so it becomes functionally the Mexican version of Daytona.
Same reason Spain and Brits.
Its close and cheap.
Cancun also has a lot of direct flights, even outside of the hubs.
I can get direct to Cancun from Indiana. I can’t get direct to DR.
Cancun is like a college Spring Break staple so you are going to get a bunch of visitors that are only there to binge drink.
I’d argue DR has a similar reputation.
I’m not sure why the Bahamas doesn’t. The Bahamas seems like it’s mostly older people going there. Or maybe it just seems that way to me because my FIL is from there.
Does it?
I’m doing Cancun for my honeymoon lol
It’s close, cheap, and you used to not need a passport to get there. Lots of people only got a passport to continue their annual pilgrimages.
It’s probably fun, but the people that go to stereotypical tourist sites are probably some of the worst people in society
It’s affordable.
Basically because Cancun itself hasn’t got anything to offer besides all-inclusive hotels, and it is a mecca for spring-break idiocy because of the cheap airfares.
It is of course very possible to take advantage of the low airfares to fly in and rent a car or get on a bus and visit the ruins and see the cenotes, go scuba diving, see the flamingos, find a little town and check out the food… Lots of people do that, but there are of substantial number of Americans who never leave the hotel.
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Uh, not sure I agree that DR doesn’t have the same connotation.
It is by design.
Cancun is an artificial city created by the Mexican government in the 1970s with one purpose, to serve as a tourist trap. To that end the Mexican government put their brightest minds looking across Mexico to find a site that has the most optimal weather, distance to big airports, best beaches, less sharks, etc. When they settled on Cancun, the site was home to 3 coconut farmers.
It is literally the fakest city in the Caribbean.
For what ever reason it became popular and cheap to travel to. so Americans who can’t afford to travel to Europe can still travel to Cancun. so a bigger % are less traveled (cultured) so that’s probably why.
plus all the spring breakers who are on their worst behavior.
Cancun itself was purpose-built for tourism. It is reasonably close to quite a few places of historical and cultural significance, but Cancun itself has very little history. Almost no one lived there before the 1970s when resorts and other tourist infrastructure was built. Mexicans moved to Cancun for the jobs and the city was built around that. The area was heavily marketed toward people in the US and Canada as an easily-accessible place for vacation. Flights are quick and easy. The beach is beautiful. Hotels and resorts cater to other North Americans. Everything is basically taken care of.
senior frogs and carlos & Charlie’s
Once a place gets a reputation as “trashy” it creates a snowball effect, and you actually chase away people who might otherwise have wanted to go, not wanting to deal with the headaches of taking the same flights and staying in the same hotels as rowdy people. Meanwhile at the same time it attracts even more of the hardcore partiers who have heard that it’s a great place to let loose. It’s one of the reasons I’ll never go on a cruise. I would feel trapped with people I want to get away from.
There’s lots of all-inclusive resorts and other amenities that catered towards college students on spring break, and other similar groups. Think low on funds and focused on alcohol and other substances more than the historical marvels or beautiful nature.
I think because it does. If you want a more wholesome experience go to Merida.
A good number of my redneck, less educated family members and colleagues have gone to Cancun. The same ones who eat at the poor quality “Mexican” restaurant in their hoentown week after week, then watch Fox News opine about “the illegals.”
Yeah. If that’s the crowd that Cancun attracts, en masse, then I’m in no rush to go. Besides, Cancun is statistically quite unsafe (even if the rest of the Yucatan is safe).
It’s cheap and has resorts where they don’t have to leave at all. It’s just people that want to go stay in a nice hotel, drink and eat, and never experience the culture at all.
Plenty of places in the Yucatan are great but I stay the hell away from Cancun.
It’s fairly cheap, it’s a short flight from the southern United States, and it’s a popular spring break location for college students meaning there’s a bunch of drunk 19 year olds.
Because anything or anyone that comes across as “normal” doesn’t stand out and is not memorable.
I’ve actually heard this WAY more applicable to DR than anywhere in Mexico.
It’s cheap, easily accessible, and mostly all-inclusive resorts.
So, you take a shuttle directly to the resort from the airport, and a shuttle to maybe one of the artificially built little tourist main streets they have, and then shuttle right back when you’re done. The historical sites are really cool, but most people aren’t there for that. They essentially never leave resort property.
The affordable price point attracts a lot of young students who are more likely to get drunk and rowdy, as well as tourists from lower socioeconomic classes for whom Mexico may be the only place they ever go outside the country. So, there are classist connotations with the way they dress and behave as well.
The Bahamas and DR tend to be more expensive, but a lot of cruises will go to the Bahamas. The stereotype is that the Bahamas are a vacation destination for older people since it’s right by Florida where all the retirees live.
It’s because it’s a dirt cheap party town. It has long been one of the cheapest vacations for Americans to go to. There are all inclusive resort and flight packages even high schoolers working part time jobs could easily afford and drink legally once they land. There are clubs all over with dollar shots and wet T shirt contests. The city is made to draw a trashy crowd.
I was one such high schooler. I remember booking a week long all inclusive resort with the flight included at under $1000 when I was 17. The resort was a giant frat house.
Because it’s cheap and close.
Americans treat Cancun like Australians treat Bali
Because it’s cheap and caters to people who want to get drunk and party.
Source: someone who likes cheap destinations where everybody gets drunk and parties.
There are, of course, fantastic haciendas and lodges outside of Cancun that cater to people wanting to explore Yucatan’s history and archeology. You’d maybe use the Cancun airport to get there but not stay in the hotel zone and hang out at Senor Frogs the whole time.
Most of the other islands are smaller and don’t have nearly as many resorts as the Cancun area. That provides a lot of competition and price ranges. On top of that, it’s just 4-5 hours from both NYC and SF, so it’s very central.
Punta Cana isn’t as “big” as Cancun though it’s getting close (I was there last week) and it’s further from most places except along the east coast.
Islands like Aruba, Antigua and Barbados lack the flight options from the west coast without connections. Cancun is 5:30 from SFO while Barbados is over 10 hours and requires a stop in Miami or Charlotte.
It was literally built to be a American-centric resort destination. At least everything out of centro- a government project to attract people who wanted to barely feel like they’ve left America but can drink watered down crappy tequila and take an excursion that counts as culture.
Does have great beaches though won’t lie.
The reason it has that reputation is because a lot of garbage people go there
Because donkey shows are legal there.
Went there it lives up the reputation 😂
Because it’s relatively close, a resort setting, visited by cruisers, people who might not travel otherwise, and spring breakers.
It’s not trashy just a party place. Somewhere like Myrtle Beach or the Jersey shore might be considered trashy but I’ve never been there so I can’t say.
Probably mode because of Señor Frogs. The famous ruins are a few hours away, not exactly in the city.
Cheap party location that people think is bougie.
Okay, so if you’re interested in seeing what the Caribbean has to offer, but you have no interest in beaches and drinking, where are the best destinations?
I thought that was more associated with Cabo
Because it’s always been linked to Spring Break. You could say the same about Panama City beach in Florida
And, I think most of the stuff you are talking about is linked to the Mayan Riviera, Tulum, and Playa Del Carmen, which aren’t viewed as trashy. There are tons of high-end resorts in the Mayan Riveria outside Cancun which don’t have this reputation. It’s mainly the Sandbar of Cancun that has this reputation which is very much a party destination for people in their late teens to mid-20’s and caters to that (there are other high-end resorts there, but outnumbered). Also, the resorts in Cancun on the Sand Bar don’t tend to be large compounds.
I don’t know man Cancun, the Bahamas, Florida, and all those other tropical/ semi-tropical places are maybe maybe trashy Boomer-ims that can’t afford filet mignon and posh weekends at the Hamptons or whatever.
Don’t know. Don’t care. In today’s economy and everything going on, especially speaking as a millennial, most of us are just trying to survive.
Vacations or better yet “off time” looks much different nowadays.
This ain’t Dan aykroyd loading up the station wagon and going somewhere for $200
It’s easy to get to and has a reputation for hard partying. It’s like Bali for Australian bogans.
I didn’t know it had that reputation. As an NBA fan, “going to Cancun” is the term used for being kicked out of the playoffs. That’s what always goes to my mind.
Cancun does not have a lot of historical significance. It was essentially built in the 1970s to attract American tourists.
There certainly are historically important places you can get to within a day from Cancun, but Cancun itself ain’t it.
It’s more of a family destination. My wife and I have travelled there with our kids many times – great experiences! Lots of events for the kids, plus the love the buffets, so easy to feed them.
Cancun is trashy