Boon or threat? Mexico City wrestles with influx of remote U.S. workers
Mexico housing activists and researchers say the wave of international visitors coming to work and live in Mexico City exacerbates inflation and inequality.
MEXICO CITY — In a trendy part of Mexico City, in a park surrounded by hipster coffeeshops and restaurants, stands a figure dressed in white with hands in prayer like a Catholic statuette: the so-called patron saint against gentrification.
Sandra Valenzuela, a Mexican activist, created the statue to rally neighbors against what she regards as a rising threat to her community and others in the Mexican capital.
A wave of international visitors predominantly from the United States has poured into Mexico City’s cafes, parks and AirBnbs as they work untethered from daily office commutes by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nearly two million foreigners touched down at the Mexico City International Airport in the first half of 2022, inching toward the record 2.5 million arrivals in the first half of 2019. Meanwhile, demand for short-term rentals across Mexico City surged 44% over the same period, according to AirDNA, a market research company that analyzes online rental listings.
Marko Ayling, a writer and content creator who lives in Mexico City, strolled through the coveted Condesa neighborhood, where “For rent” ads alternate with signs for chic cafes and plant-based eateries.
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