Bacalar Hoteliers Push to Restore Air Connectivity at Chetumal International Airport

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Hoteliers in the Pueblo Mágico of Bacalar are joining calls from business leaders in the state capital to restore air connectivity at Chetumal International Airport, aiming to boost visitor numbers and hotel occupancy in southern Quintana Roo.

Enrique Bautista, the new president of the Bacalar Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHRB), said that despite intensified promotion efforts and increased participation in national and international tourism fairs during 2025, one key objective for this year is to push for the reactivation of flights from Chetumal to strategic domestic hubs like Guadalajara and Monterrey.

“We’re going to promote tourism abroad, in Canada for example, where we’ve lost very important air connections,” Bautista said. “Strategically, we need to ensure Chetumal airport regains mobility with different points. We’re talking about Guadalajara, Monterrey — these are very important connections. We share the request to restore connectivity at the airport; we are neighbors and it benefits us too. The Tulum airport helps, but our main communication link is with the Chetumal area.”

He argued that restoring these routes would offer more attractive travel options for tourists, ultimately improving the flow of visitors to the southern part of the state and raising hotel occupancy rates.

The association plans to work in coordination with tourism industry representatives in Chetumal to present a formal petition to state authorities, seeking to revive an issue that has been discussed for years without concrete progress.

In the immediate term, hoteliers are focusing on the upcoming Easter holiday season, where they hope to increase room-night reservations and surpass last year’s numbers for the same period. Bautista said they are intensifying efforts to position Bacalar as a premier tourist destination that does not suffer from sargassum seaweed influxes like other coastal areas.

“We hope to reach 90% or 100% occupancy this Easter,” Bautista said. “It has always been one of our best holiday seasons. However, last year we did see a drop to 80%; we didn’t reach the projected levels. This time we are working to achieve a better percentage. We have time to create a campaign and spread the word that Bacalar does not suffer from sargassum like other destinations, and we believe that will help us.”

He noted that hotels recently reported 90% occupancy during the Valentine’s Day celebration, while restaurants saw sales reach 100%, indicating Bacalar is considered a romantic destination — a theme they will incorporate into future promotional campaigns.