Why Locals Are Gatekeeping Their Favorite Places From Tourists

In 2018, when Luz Celaya, then a model, moved from her hometown, Caborca, Mexico, to Mexico City, she found “paradise.” Every week, she got what she swears are the city’s best tacos and fresh juice, then hit her local paca, or secondhand clothing market, with friends.

“You had piles of clothes and people screaming the prices,” she said. “You’d spend the whole day there. The food was amazing, the energy was amazing, the clothes were amazing.”

When friends, family and friends of friends came to town, Ms. Celaya, 27, happily told them about the paca and her other favorite spots. Over the years, as tourism to Mexico City climbed — the city drew roughly 14.4 million hotel guests in 2023, and is aiming for 19.5 million visitors by 2030 — Ms. Celaya’s beloved paca became a tourist magnet. Prices went up, and some sellers started listing their items in dollars, a sign of the prevalence of American shoppers.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/18/travel/gatekeeping-tourism-mexico-city-milan.html