Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa Message Board - Mexico Declares War on Stinky Seaweed

This is very sad news for the tourism economy on Mexico's East Coast.

Mexico Declares War on Stinky Seaweed
Mexico’s President Unveils Plan to Fight Seaweed That Is Choking Beaches
Note: Articles above are good for 30 days from date of post.

But it's all not bad ...
Turning Sargassum into Building Materials
Turning Sargassum into Biofuel and Fertilizer

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This is very sad news for the tourism economy on Mexico's East Coast.

Mexico Declares War on Stinky Seaweed
Mexico’s President Unveils Plan to Fight Seaweed That Is Choking Beaches
Note: Articles above are good for 30 days from date of post.

But it's all not bad ...
Turning Sargassum into Building Materials
Turning Sargassum into Biofuel and Fertilizer

You'd think that with the immense problems in Mexico's #1 tourist destination's beaches, Zihuatanejo would seek to capitalize on it using targeted promotion and increased flights at accessible prices to entice some of Quintana Roo's visitors to come give us a try, things that actually require work by our overpaid undertalented so-called tourism authorities at all levels. But no. Local tourism officials think "ThisIZit" is a cute quip that they put on all their propaganda that will attract English-speaking visitors, even after I've explained to them numerous times that "Zit" is NOT the cute quip they think it is. Yet it remains on all Zihuatanejo's official tourist propaganda over 7 years after they started using it. And they expect travel agents to send us the tourism we need. So Ixtapa continues cheapening itself with only all-inclusive hotels whose visitors mostly never leave their hotels, and Zihuatanejo continues receiving mostly bus tourists with very limited budgets. Extremely frustrating for people like me who are actually paying attention and who care.

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It isn’t only international flights that Zihuatanejo is lacking. It is also domestic flights. I’m looking at MEX->ZIH flights in October 2026. AeroMexico has only two a day, 10:00 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. In previous years there were multiple flights daily.

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It isn’t only international flights that Zihuatanejo is lacking. It is also domestic flights. I’m looking at MEX->ZIH flights in October 2026. AeroMexico has only two a day, 10:00 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. In previous years there were multiple flights daily.

Attracting flights by guaranteeing a certain percentage of occupancy and offering subsidies where quotas aren't met is supposed to be the job of our so-called tourism authorities, particularly the OCVIZ (Oficina de Visitantes y Convenciones Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo). It means they have to actually work to attract enough tourists for those flights. And THAT is where travel agents can come in handy. But it seems our so-called tourism authorities just don't care. They just want to keep their cushy overpaid jobs by simulating and convincing their bosses that everything is hunky-dory, providing cifras alegres and putting "ThisIZit" all over the propaganda they put out. I find it rather sad at this late date when it's obvious our tourism is NOT sustainable and is NOT prosperous for the majority of local businesses.

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It isn’t only international flights that Zihuatanejo is lacking. It is also domestic flights. I’m looking at MEX->ZIH flights in October 2026. AeroMexico has only two a day, 10:00 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. In previous years there were multiple flights daily.

We've been flying AeroMéxico from MEX-ZIH every October since 2018. I don't recall AM ever offering more than two flights a day, although the time of day may vary.

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Hmm, interesting. I thought there was a morning, an afternoon, and an early evening flight. I might be incorrect as I have only been doing that flight for three or four years. I was always able to do a same day connection with my dog, but this year I will have to overnight in DF. Unless AM changes the schedules as they often do.

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It isn’t only international flights that Zihuatanejo is lacking. It is also domestic flights. I’m looking at MEX->ZIH flights in October 2026. AeroMexico has only two a day, 10:00 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. In previous years there were multiple flights daily.

That is because some operators and flights went to NLU. B-)

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For a number of reasons we have been traveling back and forth from here to Mexico City fairly regularly. The flights seem to change almost monthly. Wednesdays in September only have one flight going to CDMX a day.

Volaris also goes there, both airports. They are less expensive and we have been impressed with their flights.

Things change.

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Don’t worry about Zit, nobody in the U.S. ever heard it. When mentioning Zihuatanejo I only get asked where is it and then is it safe. Their closed mind already determined it is not safe even though we all know Zihuatanejo is safer than any major city in the U.S. Good luck with ever changing that.

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So much of perception is context-based.

When people learn that I own a home in Mexico, usually the first question is not, “Is it safe?”, it is “Where?”.

I respond with the comforting question, “Did you see the movie Shawshank Redemption?”. Almost everyone says yes. Then I mention the final scene and the discussion becomes based on a positive experience and is about how fortunate I am.

If the person hasn’t seen Shawshank Redemption they are missing the positive context. Then the discussion becomes fear-based.

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So much of perception is context-based.

When people learn that I own a home in Mexico, usually the first question is not, “Is it safe?”, it is “Where?”.

I respond with the comforting question, “Did you see the movie Shawshank Redemption?”. Almost everyone says yes. Then I mention the final scene and the discussion becomes based on a positive experience and is about how fortunate I am.

If the person hasn’t seen Shawshank Redemption they are missing the positive context. Then the discussion becomes fear-based.

Of course you know that the final scene in Shawshank was filmed on Sandy Point in Frederiksted, St. Croix in the USVI, right? St. Croix was my home in the early 70's.

Sandy Point Sea Turtle Sanctuary
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