Cancun Street Market Vendors See Sales Plunge 60% as Heat and Summer Vacations Bite

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Vendors at Cancún’s street markets say sales have fallen by as much as 60% as the summer heat and vacation season drive shoppers away, according to the head of the city’s Tianguis Verdes market association.

Paloma Ortega, the group’s secretary general, said the annual summer break always brings a dip in customer traffic, as many families leave the city. But this year, an intense heat wave has made things worse, with many residents choosing to stay home rather than visit outdoor markets during the hottest hours.

The combination has hit vendors’ finances hard. Ortega said that between 10% and 20% of stalls have suspended operations for now, since daily earnings no longer cover basic costs such as fuel, transport, merchandise and hauling fees.

The Tianguis Verdes association represents more than 1,500 vendors who work permanently across 48 markets in the municipality of Benito Juárez, which includes Cancún. The slowdown is directly affecting hundreds of families, she added.

Despite the difficult stretch, Ortega said she expects commerce to pick up in the second half of August, when summer vacations end and families begin shopping for the back-to-school season — traditionally one of the busiest periods for street market vendors.