Tourism Crisis in Quintana Roo: Foreign Visitors Plummet, Businesses Struggle

Quintana Roo's Tourism Promotion Council (CPTQ) and the Association of Hotels in Tulum have both identified a tourism crisis in the Mexican Caribbean. This crisis has been triggered by a significant drop in foreign visitors to the region.

Pablo Alfonso Aguilar Torres, who heads the CPTQ, stated that the number of international tourists visiting the island has drastically fallen this year compared to previous years. This decline has led to financial difficulties for local businesses and restaurants.

Torres emphasized the urgent need for increased tourism promotion, as the current season has not met expectations for the sector. He called for the development of more promotional strategies to boost tourism during holiday seasons.

The Sustainable Tourism Advanced Research Center (STARC) recently suggested that the actions of immigration officials at the airport could be one contributing factor to the decline. Francisco Madrid Flores, the head of STARC, explained that the Mexican Caribbean has been particularly impacted by a reduction in tourists from four main Latin American markets: Colombia, Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador. Each country has seen a decline in tourism for various reasons.

According to CPTQ data, hotel occupancy in the Riviera Maya continues to fall following the end of the summer holidays. As of last Tuesday, occupancy was at 60 percent across more than 56,000 rooms. This is a significant decrease from the over 80 percent occupancy seen in July.

Similarly, hotels in Tulum, like others throughout the Mexican Caribbean, have experienced lower occupancy levels this summer compared to previous years. This decline has been attributed to a variety of factors, including Hurricane Beryl, a shortage of flights, a lack of federal promotion, and the rise of vacation rentals.

David Ortiz Mena, president of the Association of Hotels in Tulum, reported that in August, average occupancy was 59 percent in Tulum and 66 percent in Quintana Roo. In contrast, in August 2023, the figures were 65 and 71 percent respectively.