Yucatan Living

Yucatan News: Consumerism Stats

16 August 2016 News 1

Weather: Don’t Put Your Umbrella Away

Tropical wave number 21 caused 5.5 millimeters of rain to fall on Merida. Count Yucatan lucky because the headlines from our neighboring state say that Cancun was paralyzed with 40 millimeters of rain. Playa del Carmen recorded 41.4 millimeters of rain on Saturday. Rather makes Yucatan look a bit “high and dry,” doesn’t it? Do not put your umbrella away quite yet because those weather people say it is not over!

Tourism Up 8.6% Over Last Year

During the first half of this year, 17 million international tourists came to visit Mexico, and brought $10,633,000,000 USD with them. This put international tourism up 8.6% over last year, and its economic impact up 8% over the same period in 2015. Domestic tourism is no small potatoes either. In 2015, a total of 83,200,000 domestic tourists checked into hotels throughout Mexico. Tourism has now enjoyed 11 consecutive quarters of growth in Mexico and is a major player in the creation of new jobs throughout the country.

UADY Student Earns Grant to Study in Chile

Thanks to a grant provided by UADY’s Student Mobility Program, Amairani Luciely Nava Herrera has received a grant to study at the University of Chile. Amairani is a student in Marketing and International Relations, in UADY’s Department of Accounting and Administration. This young lady, the daughter of a teacher, is not only smart, but savvy as well. While doing the research to obtain this grant, she learned to love the research necessary to find funding for worthy projects; and plans to use her skills to find funding for her own business when she gets back from Chile. Congratulations are due to Amairani Luciely Nava Herrera, to her family, and to the UADY faculty members who helped guide her along the way.

Yucatan: Scary Chronic Disease Statistics

Every day, 20 new cases of hypertension are diagnosed in Yucatan, along with 100 new cases of diabetes per week. When both diseases are present in one individual, the combination is deadly. The biggest problem with hypertension is that it often has no symptoms. This is especially serious since hypertension is now occurring in Mexicans between the ages of 20 and 69. Obesity and lack of exercise are the major risk factors for developing hypertension, along with smoking, drinking alcohol, and eating a diet that is too high in salt. Most expats chose Yucatan because it offers an opportunity to lead a safe and healthy lifestyle. It does not take long to love the food and laid back lifestyle just a little too much and we ourselves can be on the road to hypertension right along with Yucatecos. Yucatan is embarking on a campaign to increase exercise and decrease obesity. Expats and Yucatecos alike can stand to benefit.

Merida: Business Schools for Children

Private sector initiatives and the national government have partnered to create Business Kids and Wake Up Entrepreneur. These are business schools for children aged four to 14, and there are two campuses on the north side of Merida. The goal of these schools is to build self-esteem, and develop communication skills, leadership and teamwork, while developing the creative skills necessary to think and develop ideas. By the time they reach 14, they are ready for the Business Teens Program, which continues their business educations and provides support for their entrepreneurial ideas until they are 28 years of age. We think this is a great idea, especially if they are teaching some classes about personal finance. Children in any country can benefit from this kind of education!

Workshop: Urban Planning and Public Health: You Are Invited

The public is invited to attend a workshop that will connect the concepts of urban planning and public health, as well as develop five urban planning projects and solve their related problems. Teachers will come from the University of Montreal, Autónoma Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México, and our own UADY. The workshop begins on August 19. If you are interested in participating in the workshop, you need to call the UADY Faculty of Architecture immediately because the workshop begins on August 19. At the end of the workshop, a diploma will be awarded to participants.

Lectures: Racism in Mexico: You Are Invited

UADY is presenting a series of lectures on Racism in Mexico that will be open to the general public. Call the UADY Department of Anthropology for more information on locations and times. If you speak and/or understand Spanish, this looks as if it will be an interesting set of lectures.

• The cycle starts with a presentation entitled "Violence and Racial Classification" by Dr. Carlos Lopez Beltran (Friday, August 19).
• "The meanings of species and breed in contemporary bioantropológico evolutionism", supported by Dr. Francisco Vergara Silva, researcher at the Institute of Biology of the UNAM.(Friday, September 2)
• "Challenges of antiracist education in Latin America: Are the indigenous peoples in school?", By Dr. Bruno Baronnet, of the Universidad Veracruzana. (Friday, September 9)
• "Antisemitic Discourse in the contemporary history of Mexico and in social networks", by Dr. Olivia Gall, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Humanities of the UNAM.(Friday, September 30)
• The last lecture is titled "Afro-Mexicans, racism and policies identity invisible to recognition." By Maestra Gabriela Iturralde Nieto, of the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico. (Friday, October 7)

Merida K9 Squad: Malia to the Rescue

This past week, a little girl, age 11, disappeared from the home of her paternal, custodial grandparents. They called the police and gave them several addresses where the little girl might have been taken. The Merida K9 Squad was called in and began clearing the list of addresses. It wasn’t long before Malia, a German Shepherd, sniffed out the little girl at the home of one of her maternal relatives. This case was successfully completed quickly and safely. Congratulations to Malia and the other members of her squad who worked with her – and to their humans as well.

Pork Production To Increase 65% Over Five Years

The Kuo Group, a private company that already slaughters 27,000 pigs per week in Uman, has announced that it will build a new plant in Tixpehual that will slaughter an additional 43,000 pigs. Their investment in Yucatan will rise from $350 million USD to $700 million USD over five years. Currently, pork exports from Yucatan amount to $100 million USD. That is expected to rise to one billion dollars soon. While the money and tens of thousands of new jobs sounds wonderful, no mention was made of the potential environmental impact such a large pork farm and processing plant will have. According to the investors, this new plant will employ the latest technology. Hopefully, at least some of that technology will be employed to protect the environment.

Consumerism High and Rising

The Ministry of Economic Development conducts an annual survey that measures the types and levels of company sales. The last time consumer spending was as high as it is now, was in 2008. This year’s sales were compared with those in 2008. Findings showed that wholesale sales in 2016 are 143 economic units versus 100 economic units in 2008, and retail sales this year are 180 units versus 100 economic units in 2008. This level of increased sales shows that Yucatecos are spending on goods and services, buying clothes and household goods, eating in restaurants, and taking vacation days. Nine thousand new, direct jobs have been created in Yucatan in the first half of 2016, and unemployment is standing at two percent. From the looks of new companies coming to Yucatan next year, including nine renewable energy projects, the economy for 2017 is poised to be even better than 2016. Hopefully, this level of consumption will ease up a bit before people begin going into a level of debt they cannot manage.