Gringos GO HOME!
should foreigners be worried about coming to Medellin still recently angry locals have been sticking up posters in the most touristic parts of the city is there any chance that they're going to be victims of any kind of violence gentrifiers go home digital Nomads more like temporary colonizers the reason why the locals are so mad absolutely skyrocketing rental prices mainly caused by the rise in the popularity of short-term rental applications such as Airbnb and booking.com couple this with the huge influx of tourists which are arriving in Medellin every single day a city which has famously had its share of problems now has a brand new one I'm here with Mateo and he's going to help us kind of unpack this issue of gentrification and the problem that some locals are having with foreigners coming into their City living here raising the prices do you want to introduce yourself first so everybody knows who you are and why we should listen to you sure um my name is Mateo monsalbi I'm an attorney by profession and a businessman by heart born and raised in Medellin born and raised in Beijing yes I did live in Canada for for a little bit okay I went to high school there for a year fair to say you kind of understand both cultures Western for lack of a better word and Colombian culture right yes a little bit you can see Syria okay let's get straight into it yeah I've seen a lot of these signs popping up where people have been saying different things Gringo go home stop the gentrification and last year if you guys didn't know Medellin received 1.3 million visitors am I fair in saying that in the last five years the tourism has really really boomed yes even despite covert people kept on coming I believe that even covet might have been a catalyst for people to start comment even more and be more reassured about the fact that they wanted to to give Medellin a a try can you touch a little bit on the growth of Tourism first of all in Medellin because I know maybe 10 years ago not many people coming here right maybe 15 years ago was still a little bit dangerous things were going on people were still a bit scared when did tourism start I guess the first flocks of tourists started coming and then when did it start really picking up and ramping up we did get to see an increase I would believe in the last 10 years before that the only teachers that I the only people I might see uh that were foreigners will be like teachers and stuff that weren't the school that I will go to okay but that was completely unusual now you see people on the streets like from all over the world very often what's very uncommon imagine obviously due to the fact that we had such bad reputation due to the violence that took place in the 90s about 10 years ago you started seeing the first few foreigners settling in the city those people who said they were teachers and stuff they were working obviously they might have got a contract to come here and stay here so when you saw someone like that was it very surprising were you like whoa what's happening now yeah usually you you would categorize the people that would come to Colombia before that as very adventurous okay that's the the obviously the theme that we had yeah or would only be allowed for people that were willing to take the risk locitos okay well you know now you see families and stuff going around back then it's kind of just someone who really wanted the adventure and was like ready to accept whatever dangers were there it was it was even so present the fact that you know there was this latent violence going on here and the people who were working and selling the country in in regards to tourism were so aware of of that that the biggest campaign back in the day was the only risk is wanting to say Colombia the only risk is wanting to stay they understood yeah there that people realized there was a risk when coming here so they took advantage of that it was really nice now things have definitely changed a lot undeniable that there is still violence and such is not outrageous like it was beforehand it's funny that you mentioned that because I have seen that slogan before that was basically the first advertising campaign to get people to come to Medellin right the only risk is that you'll never leave to promote tourism yeah in Colombia yeah that's so funny how times have changed because you know only a few years ago was like everyone come to our country come to our country our country is beautiful and now it's like everybody leave and what did they think was going to happen I've seen this in a lot of places Mexico is much worse once people catch on that a place has low cost of living first of all is a really beautiful place with a lot of things to offer and really nice people people gonna start coming it's supply and demand man when there's so many people coming to the city the prices are going to go up and up and up and up people are going to see that property owners and they're going to jack the price up even even more what are your thoughts on the current situation the issues with I've got to read a little bit about the the issue in Mexico City mostly especially in Polanco once I read about that it was hard not to have made a dream pop up in my mind right away since a lot of people are coming here as well I believe that I agree with you in in the sense that obviously the place is offering a lot of good quality for very low price opportunities to live people will definitely feel attracted by that especially now with the easiness that there is to be able to move from one place to another and just keep on working from that place digital Nomad lifestyle yes as you say it's only natural that that people will be coming more and just the fact that we're talking about foreigners who might be from countries that have a bigger income more purchasing power yes they have a larger GDP I believe that even when you compare like the medium cost of living in the US to a medium cost of living in Eugene you would be seeing that my Gene is like 30 of the cost of living compared to the US and you're getting well just look at the neighborhood we're walking yeah yeah super beautiful it's no wonder people will be showing up and wanting to live here the rising prices and inaffordability for locals is that just contained to the tourist spots mainly what I've seen in poblada is that happening in other places first question and second question is it going to spread everywhere and the whole city is going to be destroyed like people are talking about I believe that it's only natural that will that it would sort of happen in the touristic places in terms of housing at least when we're talking about short-term long-term housing like residential versus commercial housing we look at a very big difference in prices that's only natural because we're talking about tourists for a coming year for a short period of time you know it happens here it happens in anywhere the prices tend to be much higher than if they were to rent a place for a longer period of time the phenomenon that really has I believe sped up this situation has been the short-term rentals apps and platforms such as Airbnb Etc weather it will be spread out to the whole city or not I wouldn't expect it to be like that only because usually there's a property sent to be in neighborhoods that are considered like high-end neighborhoods affluent neighborhoods of women estrato five and six yes there is a lot of neighborhoods besides laureles and polaro it's not really something that's only happening due to foreigners coming here okay it's not like gentrification but something that we were not familiar with the neighborhood I currently live in we learn and it was built on top of just a bunch of uh plots of land there used to be like Wasteland or so to say because they were located right in between two dangerous neighborhoods but now you look at the Endo model and it's one of the high-end neighborhoods and that was before the whole influx yeah of foreigners before the tourists boom yes people Colombians from other cities not not necessarily from other cities just people from here so internal gentrification I don't believe that it needs to be a foreigner coming here yeah first of all I believe that people need to identify the fact that it's just a phenomenon that happens in real estate when there is opportunity to to invest and grow the fact that it's happening with people from elsewhere simply an example of how globalization takes an effect I'm not to to say whether it's it's good or bad I believe it's just a phenomenon that is happening there is not much you can do about it rather than see how you can make the most of it enjoy it there's a lot of good things that come with people from elsewhere coming here let's talk about that for a second because a lot of things lead back to money right yes most things in life honestly 1.3 million International visitors to the city of Medellin last year what's a general trip for someone they might spend a thousand dollars on a trip right yeah maybe a little more what's a thousand times a million yes a billion about that you're the smart guy so billion dollars straight into the city that can help a lot of people right yes certainly so we need to think about that fact as well the money that comes in that can be spent on other things helping people improving the city a lot of people argue that due to the fact that most people that are coming here or a lot of people that are coming here are digital Nomads that means that we'll be talking about you know not a lot of influx of income uh not a lot of money coming in not a lot of development uh to uh the country but what do you mean by that why not for example I'm a digital Nomad and I come and work here right I'm still spending on rent I'm still spending on food I'm still spending on drink I'm still shopping all those things still get taxed all those things still are promoting Colombian businesses and the economy right yes yes I was going to say so not only that but also for example you're making a Content yeah that promotes Medellin people are coming here and starting their businesses I I know this for a fact because we help them so their businesses have got set up here okay and there are a lot of people who are coming here bringing ideas that will definitely accelerate and increase the economy make life better torture to say whether it's something it's good or bad again yeah I believe it might be good for for some bad for others yeah but it's also a lot of uh a lot of perception yeah on how you can actually take up on the on the opportunities I don't believe that it's only a manufacturer I lived in Canada for a bit okay and one of the things that I really appreciated about Canada was the fact that it was so Multicultural that year Toronto was the most Multicultural uh city in the world and you would go around just like from a corner to another and see people from all over just respectful of each other respecting the rules enjoying the fact that they got to leave and raise their family in a in a good quality environment imagine used to be a very close City back in the day you would only see Colombians here obviously due to the situations that we're talking about violence and such even in in 99 Colombia was the Clara fell State yeah imagine that just thinking about how back in the day we were so close up to the world and people would not even think once about coming to Colombia and now we're receiving people from all over they're seeing that this is Paradise on Earth I personally enjoyed that I think there's a lot of opportunities not only in terms of businesses but culturally I believe this this all drives a Innovation and and growth absolutely things develop and change when you get outside ideas because if you only have the same type of people in the same place they're only going to have the same ideas but sometimes when people come from different countries and share a bit of their benefits and positive knowledge to a city all that can kind of really gain momentum and really help the city grow right yes it's really it's so nice like yeah it's a beautiful thing exactly what what I would be talking about I'm sure there's more benefits than what we spoke about but money and culture two big big things and influx and new ideas you know a question I want to ask you is sometimes when you see things like this pop up people having issues with gentrification or general issues about things right they have a name for that in US these type of people who find issues with everything Karen's you know that term yes Karen complaining about anything at all times just a bit bitter type of people my question to you Mateo is the people putting the posters up and complaining about gentrification and saying Gringos go home and get out of here do they have a genuine case or is it the case that they're more being parents so hard question and a hard question yeah I personally am not on the side of of the people who are being affected by this I believe I realized that that's simply a situation that is happening so we worked in finding a way to make the most I see it as an opportunity nevertheless I'm certain that that might not be the case for everyone I understand why some people would be upset if for example the university that's right in the in the border of polado and the lower part I would understand why students from that University will be upset about this happen the prices of what was usually their their dormitories or you know their cheap apartments beside the University now most of them have been renovated and are being rented for five to six times the price that they rented I never thought about that so people who naturally may have been living in areas like poblado and things like that maybe for many many generations many years now they might have been kicked out of their residence right because the landlord wants to capitalize on this on the higher prices I think that's I mean that's only understandable that the landlord would like to capitalize on on the higher prices but that's to be said as well right A lot of these Colombians are complaining about gentrification but it takes two men you know what I'm gonna go you know where I'm gonna go with this yes Gringos pay stupid prices dude I've seen many Gringos paying absolutely the dumbest prices I've ever seen I Googled yesterday Airbnb and I went to povlada and I filtered in terms of five thousand dollars and over per month your brain is breaking now right thinking about that yeah I know a lot of them five thousand six thousand seven thousand dollars we're not even that nice wasn't like a mansion or anything was just like a place with a couple of bedrooms and not bad but people were paying it but then I went and I looked at because you can look at the host on Airbnb right I don't want to mention any names but it was like Colombian business names yeah even though Gringos we are idiots for paying dumb prices like this when in other suburbs meant much much cheaper the locals have seen that hey instead of charging a thousand or 500 for this I can charge three thousand four thousand five thousand and make more money it's harder than that definitely it takes through the Tango in this case it's just factors that go around the situation yeah cheaper prices good quality of life the cost of living in the in the US in the UK and around Europe is getting higher in Australia why would people not be looking for for other chances to to live a good quality life but be able to make the most of their income well the prices that you were mentioning were definitely I believe a little bit explains a little bit I don't want to I don't know if I got it's not New York City Colombians watching this oh we might just take a look at this for a bit okay [Music] they're probably going to ask us to buy something so we'll keep going so we're here in the this is a center okay the famous street of uh this is one of the famous streets of laureles this is probably the second most famous street or region after Provence all right probably yeah doesn't look like much now it's more of a party Street it's uh neighborhood that that basically has stages of the day for all types of people but in the morning you usually find older people going around enjoying the mornings the the parts in the afternoon is a little bit more busy and then at night you would see that the nightlife actually turns up so it's very interesting it's always it's always something happening itself is a beautiful topic I might do a video just on that another time but let's get back to the topic at hand okay I'm kind of in the same boat as you maybe I pay a little bit more than you can you guess what my budget is monthly budget maximum for rent yeah foreign that would be more in range of a club maybe a bit high for a Colombian right that's about right yeah that's about right so there are definitely places you can find for cheap but yeah these these prices especially the last ever since I got back from Brazil like three four months ago just skyrocketing man it's going really really crazy one more thing I wanted to ask you foreigners might be watching this video they've seen these signs they're watching some Facebook groups seeing some stuff on Tick Tock as I've seen Tick Tock exploding with Colombians talking about this gentrification should foreigners be worried about coming to Medellin still is there any chance that they're going to be victims of any kind of violence or hate or something uh by by these locals who are upset about um the gentrification no I think there will definitely be safe on the Discrimination side I think right now it's just a matter of discussion okay it's just a topic that's that's being discussed even local uh business people are calling for the debate because this press basically said like oh gentrification prices are going up due to foreigners but some business people here in we have we have requests for a debate on this like it's not it's not all bad that's definitely not the sentiment of all the people in Medellin and honestly if we are a spice us as managing people work together in identifying what the situation what the what the facts will be will be able to identify as an opportunity and organize to take advantage of it to make the most of it make something good out of it so you're saying more or less safe foreigners shouldn't worry about this this view that Gringo should go home and get out of the country that's a view shared by a small very small percentage of the population most people like you they welcome foreigners to come here they're proud they want to show off their city they're happy about it right yes and I believe that most people are not being affected by poorers coming here either very few like not more than five or six neighborhoods might have been effective with by by gentrification there are so many neighborhoods imagine man I'm not an economist I'm not a real estate expert I'm not a politician I just hold a camera I walk around and talk to interesting people like you one thing that could help is for foreigners coming here do your research I have a video that I made about three months ago called Medellin under 500 which I show you all the cool neighborhoods and what type of properties you can get for 500 or less so maybe do your research on things like that don't just look at the first thing on Airbnb oh 2000 for a dungeon Studio that sounds good let's go that stop paying stupid prices for [ __ ] do your research book something that's worth the price and eventually pricing explosion will burst and the prices will come back to normal that's the best idea I can come up with and I'm not the most smartest guy what about you yeah I agree with you that's a good that's a good uh that's a good start at least right there definitely should come a time in which Things become more uh stable in terms of of house pricing here there definitely are a loss in place that protect house prices for for local so yeah I already believe that there are some tools that will definitely allow for this to be more of an opportunity than a damage or or a situation that would actually affect the local community it's always good to to be open-minded this is not something that's exclusive to Medellin it has happened elsewhere it has happened in the US it has happened in Canada I had such a pleasant experience when I left went to live in Canada so I want for people to be able to have that experience when they come here we should definitely take down the barriers of nationality and color and just understand that we're all humans inhabit in this world that true dialogue and communication will be able to find better ways to to live in this world and actually enjoy living together they'll put you put it very very nicely
2023-05-10 01:59
