Business Leaders Warn Playa del Carmen Against Repeating Tulum’s Urban Planning Mistakes

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Hotel and business leaders in Playa del Carmen have expressed serious concerns about proposed new building height allowances in the city’s Urban Development Plan (PDU), warning that the changes could lead to an oversupply of apartments similar to problems experienced in nearby Tulum.

José Ramón Cárdenas González, president of the Riviera Maya Business Coordinating Council (CCE-RM), said this was one of the main observations his organization made during the PDU’s public consultation period. He pointed to Tulum as a cautionary example where extensive condominium and apartment construction proceeded before addressing basic service and infrastructure needs.

“In Tulum, there was a lot of condominium and apartment construction before trying to resolve service and infrastructure issues,” Cárdenas González said. “This goes beyond basic services—they need to consider the availability of hospitals, businesses, and other complementary facilities.”

The business leader confirmed he has discussed these concerns with urban development officials. “We need to be very careful in this area to avoid over-densification and falling into oversupply,” he added.

While there is momentum toward vertical development in Playa del Carmen, Cárdenas González emphasized this should not result in unnecessary building construction.

When asked about declining hotel rates in Playa del Carmen over the past decade—a trend highlighted by Offner Arjona, president of the Playa del Carmen Small Hotels Association—Cárdenas González acknowledged that increased supply has contributed to the problem.

“The destination is not what it was 10 years ago,” he said. “What we can do is improve services and experiences. We can’t just have a Fifth Avenue—it needs to have a theme that’s attractive. If we raise the quality, we can once again attract high-spending tourists.”