Royal Caribbean’s Mahahual Plan Sparks 200K Petition

MAHAHUAL, Mexico — Royal Caribbean is reinforcing its presence among Latin American tourists. The U.S.-based cruise line is preparing to develop an offering aimed at travelers who do not possess a visa allowing them access to U.S. ports in Florida, such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or Port Canaveral.

Itzel Valdés, Associate Vice President of LATAM for Royal Caribbean, stated that the company seeks to offer travel options on its cruises departing from Colón, Panama, and Cartagena, Colombia, with a proposal tailored for Latin travelers in amenities, food, and beverage packages.

The context is favorable for the cruise line due to the tightening of immigration policies in the United States and the potential increase in the price of the visa for Mexicans, should the U.S. Congress approve the payment of a Visa Integrity Tax, which would double the cost of the document for tourists and business travelers.

Valdés detailed that among Royal Caribbean's plans is to integrate its ships Serenade of the Seas or Grandeur of the Seas, which will depart from the ports in Cartagena and Colón bound for Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao, the islands known as the ABCs, located in the southern Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela.

"This is the opportunity, and it is a year in which, obviously, we can launch this offer not only for a season but seek its permanence to always have this alternative with a product that does not require a visa," said the executive during the presentation of its ship Stars of the Seas.

The company already tested this route with its ship Rhapsody of the Seas, with itineraries that ran between 2023 and 2024. The plan is to begin voyages with Serenade of the Seas from October until April 2026 and, in May, set sail with Grandeur of the Seas.

The visa-free Caribbean offering considers including alcoholic beverages—which are traditionally sold separately—in the packages for cruisers, along with a gastronomic proposal based on regional foods.

Itzel Valdés acknowledged the momentum of travelers in the ports of Colombia and Panama, which are positioning themselves as part of the offering of emerging destinations for international tourists, a result of efforts by the tourism ministries of each country.

"Both destinations, at the country level, seek to attract more foreigners, and I think it's fantastic to have this itinerary because it enhances our culture and the places are extraordinary," said the Associate Vice President of LATAM for the cruise line.

In addition to its bet on Latin America as a tourist alternative for travelers seeking options outside of U.S. ports, Royal Caribbean has approximately 55 ports of call at international points in Europe and Asia.

Controversy Grows in Mahahual

Stars of the Seas is ready to set sail. The largest ship of Royal Caribbean began its journey through the Caribbean from Port Canaveral in Orlando, Florida, on August 16, amid accusations from Mexican activists regarding the project the company will develop in Mahahual, a destination located in Quintana Roo, Mexico.

The ship, the 29th from the tourism services company, is part of the Icon category, which offers passengers a luxury experience with a capacity for 7,600 people and will eventually include a stop at Perfect Day México, an exclusive water park that the cruise line projects to inaugurate in 2027.

The project planned in Mahahual faces opposition from activists who warn that it threatens the rights of access and use of the sea, beaches, and mangroves, in addition to the local way of life and the survival of unique ecosystems like sea turtles, resident manatees, living mangroves, and the world's second-largest coral reef.

"We have already witnessed their environmental management: videos circulate showing the dumping of wastewater into the mangroves adjacent to their facilities. And today it is not just about a cruise pier, but a giant water park," states the petition published on the platform Change.org by French anthropologist Morgane Vainberg.

Vainberg, a member of the Alux Diver dive center in Mahahual, is calling for the cancellation of the project as it is currently proposed, a rigorous, independent, and public environmental impact assessment, the recognition of the rights of local communities, and the opening of a national debate on the tourism model sought for Mexico.

The petition "Salvemos Mahahual" (Save Mahahual) has gathered 211,218 verified signatures.

"We never connected with Royal Caribbean more than during that 'meeting' they organized without great success. But we are already a small group working on the issue here in Mahahual and we have found several things… The thing is, in the end, the issue of Perfect Day México implies much more than it seems," activist Morgane Vainberg told Expansión.

The now-defunct Cofece (Federal Economic Competition Commission) authorized the company to purchase the port of Mahahual and 34 adjacent properties for 221 million dollars on June 11 of this year. Cofece endorsed the project by considering that the company managed to prove the economic benefit.

The project will trigger an economic spillover of more than 10.6 billion dollars over 22 years, with a direct impact on sales, productive linkages, and an increase in GDP. In its analysis, the authority noted the existence of sustainability and environmental protection commitments, such as the use of renewable energy, comprehensive water and waste treatment, and the conservation of 50% of the land.

Royal Caribbean has not yet submitted the Environmental Impact Statement (MIA), a step it will fulfill in the coming days, according to Jay Schneider, Chief Product Innovation Officer of the cruise line, who expressed a willingness to dialogue with activists.

"In the coming weeks, we are going to organize roundtables with local activists to ensure they have participation in the project and that they can help define the direction we will take; that is, that they can guide us, since they know what the region needs, and thus find the best way to implement solutions that suit everyone. We are also going to have a second meeting with the community," Schneider told Expansión.

In the Environmental Pillars published on the Perfect Day México website, the company details that it will have a treatment plant to process 100% of wastewater, which will be at the service of the community. Furthermore, it commits to protecting ecosystems with local preservation projects, working with associations on recycling and waste disposal programs, and hiring a Mexican company for environmental impact monitoring.

Schneider stated that a video circulating on social networks, which allegedly shows constructions destroying mangroves, does not correspond to Royal Caribbean's operations, as they cannot begin work until they present the MIA and the local government conducts its evaluation.

He added that, as is the case on ships like Stars of the Seas and at Cococay, the water used will be desalinated and purified, so there will be no extraction from local aquifers, and they will generate their own electricity.

"On the property, there is a lot of habitat protection and restoration. There are about 45 hectares of mangroves and conservation spaces, and we are fully committed to protecting that area," he said.