Bacalar Near Full Hotel Occupancy as Tourists Avoid Sargasso

Bacalar, Quintana Roo — Bacalar’s tourism sector wrapped up the summer vacation season with hotel occupancy between 95 and 100 percent, as travelers flocked to the town’s famous lagoon to escape heavy sargasso accumulation on beaches in the north of the state.

The rebound followed a slow start: the summer season opened with just 40 percent occupancy, according to Hermes Gómez Koyoc, representative of the National Chamber of Commerce (Canaco) in Bacalar.

For several days, the Lagoon of Seven Colors was packed with visitors, Gómez said, boosting every part of the local economy, including accommodations, food, boat tours and local shops.

The main factor, he said, was the massive presence of sargasso on beaches in northern Quintana Roo. Thousands of tourists chose inland and southern destinations instead, while Bacalar’s lagoon and swimming areas remained free of the seaweed.

“We started with very low occupancy and saw that the increase in tourism in Bacalar was very good,” Gómez said. “Because of the sargasso situation in the northern part of the state, families chose to visit the lagoon.”

Gómez said the economic impact of the holiday period was significant, though he did not provide a figure. The extra revenue, he said, will help businesses get through the approaching low season.

He said he hopes the trend will help consolidate Bacalar as a reliable alternative within the Mexican Caribbean when other destinations face sargasso problems.