Is Cancun The Expat And Tourism Haven Its Creators Dreamed Of?

Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is a favourite with expats from the USA, but how many realise its famous resort of Cancun was built from the bottom up as a playground for visitors?

Deciding on Cancun wasn’t a snap decision either, as the federal government employed the best tech know-how at the time as well as the best brains for the massive project. The choice of what was then a jungle-clad island with one fishing village was, in fact, a genius of an idea based on the theory of ‘we build it, you’ll love it’! Started in 1970, the project was Mexico’s very first plunge into the lucrative result sector and, with both luck and good judgement playing a large part, Cancun is now stunningly popular, both with tourists and long-stay expats.

In fact, Cancun’s development was part of a regional economic development initiative begun in order to facilitate the upgrading of the region by providing electricity, water, a telephone service and good roads with permanent bridges. Private investment was encouraged once the scheme’s backers had convinced the government that a massive influx of American tourists was the way forward for the undeveloped region’s economy. Necessities included drinking water, a plentiful supply of local people needing to work and the cash to modernise the entire region’s infrastructure.

The island itself provided the plus points without which the plan would never have materialised into reality – year-round perfect weather, blue skies and even bluer seas and palm-lined white sand beaches. Snakes and mosquitoes were banned and offshore basking sharks were moved on, creating the perfect environment for a dream holiday or retirement. The architects of this amazing scheme believed that, once the basics were taken care of, golf courses, hotels and hordes of tourists would and did arrive. The resort’s name, Cancun, translates from the Mayan language as ‘pot of gold’, and so it proved.

Nowadays, Cancun is home to a thriving expatriate community, mainly from the USA, and is now one of the world’s favourite Caribbean destinations. Its appeal has spread from the USA to many other countries, with retirees from all over the world now aware of its potential for the good life at an economical cost. Friendly locals, tranquillity, fiestas, music everywhere and delicious food are what life’s all about, and Mexico’s, colourful culture and traditions blaze out from its artworks and designs. The founders of Cancun had a vision, and it’s now a highly successful reality for tourists, locals and expats alike.