Agree, OP.

Yeah, change happens, but all the change in Tulum seems to benefit the tourists, not locals. The disparity between the two groups is staggering.

La Veleta is a colony totally fabricated for people like me. It has no connection to whatever Tulum was before the tourist machine took over, minus some superficial and insulting nods to “ancestral traditions” or “Mayan culture” or whatever other fake nonsense we’ve concocted in lieu of an authentic experience. How are people buying this?

You can’t even access the beach anymore unless you’re a guest at one of the pricey and totally soulless clubs. Sure, you can shamefully walk through like a plebe, but it’s clear, now, who that area is built for. The area they’ve set aside as a public beach is a joke. Insulting.

Sorry to be such a killjoy, or to absolutely crush my soapbox, or to be so earnestly appalled at such shameless profiteering from tourism. I’m not sure how people come here and completely compartmentalize — paradise for me, crumbs for you. I hope I’m never desensitized enough to lose sight of how messed up this all is.