Cancún Beaches Stay Public Despite Tourist Zoning

Cancún, Mexico — The Benito Juárez Municipal Government has assured the public that the beaches of Cancún will remain public and freely accessible. This statement comes in response to allegations from environmental organizations that warned of potential restrictions stemming from changes contemplated in the Municipal Urban Development Program (Programa de Desarrollo Urbano, or PDU). These groups had requested that in the new PDU, the beaches be categorized as "public" and not as "tourist services."

The Secretary of Ecology and Urban Development, Nahielli Orozco Lozano, explained that the beach access points are fully delineated as public within the PDU and that there will be no modifications affecting the citizens' right to enjoy the coastline.

"This is established in accordance with the concessions and properties located throughout the coastal zone. A priority for this government is to guarantee public services and access to the beaches," stated the official.

This follows a warning from the organization Defendiendo el Derecho a un Medio Ambiente Sano (DMAS) that several historically public beaches in Cancún could face a de facto privatization process, resulting from the new zoning in the Benito Juárez municipality's PDU.

According to the collective, beaches such as Las Perlas, Langosta, Tortugas, and Marlín, which for decades have been freely accessible, appear in recent plans as zones for "tourist services." The group alleged this could restrict public entry and benefit private interests.

Orozco Lozano emphasized that the Fideicomiso de Obras y Acciones para la Zona Turística de Quintana Roo (FOATQROO) is also working on the restructuring of stops and tourist spaces, with the purpose of improving mobility and accessibility for both visitors and local residents.

"All beach access points remain free and public; this will not be changed, and there is no change. The access points are delineated in the PDU as open, which guarantees accessibility for all people," she clarified.

The official recalled that the federal maritime-terrestrial zone is under federal jurisdiction, meaning the concessions within that strip determine the permitted uses without affecting the public character of the beaches.

"The municipality guarantees the land use aspects of the properties, but the beach is federal and it is public," she emphasized.

With this announcement, the municipal government seeks to provide certainty to the population in light of concerns from environmental groups, which have insisted on the necessity of maintaining beaches as public spaces, not only for their recreational value but also as natural assets of environmental and social importance.