Mexico’s Military Tourism Empire Exposed

Sian Ka’an, Mexico — The Mexican southeast, where the jungle embraces the Mayan legacy and the wetlands of Sian Ka’an maintain a millennial equilibrium, is becoming a colossal tourism business under military control. The Grupo Mundo Maya, renamed in May 2025 after operating as the Grupo Aeroportuario, Ferroviario, de Servicios Auxiliares y Conexos Olmeca-Maya-Mexica, consolidates the power of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) over seven hotels in Tulum, Tulum Airport, Chichén Itzá, Calakmul, Palenque, Edzná, and Nuevo Uxmal, comprising 1,170 rooms. This is in addition to the Tren Maya, theme parks like the Jaguar Park, and museums.

To this portfolio is added Puerta al Mar, a megaproject in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve that includes a 54.6 km highway cutting through vital wetlands, a pier, an artificial beach, and commercial premises, promising tourist accessibility at an environmental and social cost that Mexico can no longer ignore.

International bodies have raised their voices. UNESCO, alarmed by the impact of the Hotel Mundo Maya in Calakmul—constructed through the deforestation of 30,000 square meters of virgin jungle at a cost of over 1 billion pesos—expressed its concern in April 2024 over the lack of notification and demanded clarity on the cumulative damages of the Tren Maya and its associated projects.

In a conversation with Rubén Arvizu, Director General for Latin America of the Ocean Futures Society, the organization of Jean-Michel Cousteau shared its "profound concern for the 'Puerta al Mar' project, a World Heritage site. Jean-Michel Cousteau has emphasized that this work, initiated without permits or public consultation, threatens wetlands protected by the Ramsar Convention, of which Mexico is a signatory."

Their concern is well-founded. While the Grupo Mundo Maya and the Sedena celebrate a model of "sustainable tourism," the reality on the ground tells a different story. Puerta al Mar, like the rest of the projects placed in the hands of the army, remains shrouded in opacity. As activist José "Pepe" Tiburón denounced some time ago on social media, the project advances "without public consultation and with a model of militarized tourism that benefits the Sedena while destroying wetlands of incalculable value."

The profits, although officially public, appear to feed a system that strengthens the Army's control over the Mexican southeast. While the government celebrates profitability, the Mayan communities and the fishermen of Vigía Chico in Sian Ka’an see little of these benefits and instead face the specter of environmental destruction, expropriation, and real estate speculation.

The impact is undeniable. In Felipe Carrillo Puerto, the arrival of the Tren Maya and Puerta al Mar has unleashed a real estate frenzy. Oceanfront lots in Sian Ka’an, though protected, are selling for up to 1.5 million dollars, a price that reflects the speculative fever fueled by the promise of tourist accessibility.

In the Cancún-Riviera Maya corridor, over 600 real estate projects have emerged, many without regulation, with irregular subdivisions like the 12,000 parcels shut down in Huayacán due to fraudulent promises of services. The expropriation of 1.9 hectares in 2025 for the Tren Maya has sent land values soaring, incentivizing forced sales that displace Mayan communities and undermine their economy.

This touristification, facilitated by the Mundo Maya hotels, the Tren Maya, and the Puerta al Mar infrastructure, not only fragments ecosystems but also reconfigures the social fabric, leaving locals on the margins of the profits that the Sedena retains.

“We urge the Mexican government, including President Sheinbaum, to guarantee transparency, conduct environmental impact studies, and dialogue with communities like the fishermen of Vigía Chico to protect this vital ecosystem,” concludes Arvizu.

While the Sedena consolidates a militarized tourism empire, real estate speculation and the displacement of local communities paint a picture where the benefits seem to move further away from those who need them most.