Business Owners and Residents Allege Irregularities in Tulum Business Licenses

Tulum, Quintana Roo — A coalition of business owners, merchants, and residents has filed a formal complaint with the Tulum city council, alleging administrative obstacles and irregularities in the issuance of business licenses. The group, calling itself Tulum Unido, is demanding reforms to make the process more transparent.

The organization, which describes itself as a citizens’ movement with nearly 300 members, released a statement attributing its formation to “the crisis we are facing in our municipality.” The group is backing a citizen petition with proposals for overhauling the commercial licensing system.

Members argue that Tulum’s economic growth has been accompanied by widespread discontent among business owners over high processing costs, slow response times, and a lack of legal certainty. They also cite public allegations of corruption, extortion, and abuse of authority.

“Tulum Unido was created to unite citizens, business owners, and workers with a single goal: to demand a transparent, efficient government committed to the well-being of the community,” the statement said.

The group’s emergence comes amid rapid urban growth, strain on public services, conflicts over real estate development, and scrutiny of municipal governance.

The coalition has drafted a citizen petition on business operating licenses, which it says contains “concrete proposals and requests to guarantee a fair, transparent, and lawful process.” The petition is to be delivered to Tulum Mayor Diego Castañón of the Morena party.

Tulum Unido has also launched a campaign to collect signatures in support of its demands. “Your signature makes a difference. The more of us there are, the stronger our voice will be,” the group said in its call to action.

The group has scheduled a signature drive for Wednesday, July 1, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Tulum Maya court, and is inviting the public to review the full document via a link and QR code.