MIGRATION OF U.S. AND CANADA RETIREES TO LATIN AMERICAN COLONIAL CITIES: LESSONS LEARNED

摘要

International retirement migration will accelerate with the aging of the baby boomer generation. In the Western hemisphere, many migrants favor medium-sized, historic, picturesque Latin American colonial cities. Much is known about the motivation and activities of the immigrants, but their impact on the host cities has received little study. To better understand this issue, we conducted 79 interviews in Spanish with a stratified sample of local residents in two historic colonial cities that have been targets of significant retirement migration from the US, Canada, and Europe: Cuenca, Ecuador, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico (SMA). In both cities we interviewed individuals from six categories: government officials, health care providers, real estate agents, human services providers, and convenience store (tienda) owners in high and low retiree areas. Interview data were compared and contrasted with results of online surveys of 400 retired immigrants in Cuenca and 297 in SMA. Although interviewees generally felt that retiree immigration was good for the city, they tended to feel that migration had increased the cost of living and created a need for locals involved in business to learn English. Nonetheless, general feelings toward the retired immigrants were favorable. Retirees were felt to be friendly and open, and to respect the local culture. However, respondents strongly felt that persons who moved there should learn Spanish, which was not surprising considering that 75% of retirees surveyed rated their Spanish language skills as absent, limited, or confined to simple conversation. Suggestions for immigrants and local residents will be discussed.