Tulum’s Price Crisis: Can Regulation Save Tourism?

Tulum, Mexico — The National Chamber of the Transformation Industry in Playa del Carmen (Canacintra) has stated that prices in Tulum must be regulated to prevent a crisis from worsening in other seasons.

José Luis Acosta Quiam, president of Canacintra, reported that they expect this issue to be addressed in working meetings with the goal of making the destination attractive to tourists once again.

"We have to look at what we are doing wrong. All of us who are local residents have perhaps at some point had a bad experience with a tourism service provider, and regarding the economic issues of costs, I believe we have to regulate ourselves because what drives the base economy is the resident, the local, because tourism comes and goes, but the one who will always consume is the local," stated Acosta Quiam.

Alongside complaints about the Jaguar National Park, high prices in Tulum have also been cited as a factor discouraging visits to the destination.

"The issue with Tulum is related to the low seasons. I believe that in a place like that, where you find the attraction of the beaches and there is no free access, everything becomes more complicated," added the interviewee.

Acosta Quiam spoke about the diversification of the economy to avoid heavy dependence on tourism, the arrival of which was affected this year not only in Tulum but in other destinations due to issues such as sargassum, which washed ashore in high quantities this 2025 as had not occurred in years.

"I believe that, in general, all the tourist zones have been experiencing these ups and downs. I think that, for starters, the sargassum issue affects us greatly, as the contingency has not been handled in the best way, and we already know what we have to learn, and several of us are already accustomed to the sargassum season. Unfortunately, this coincides with the issue of the low seasons," he stated.

Despite the criticisms of Tulum, authorities have confirmed that a good year-end is expected, with a hotel occupancy percentage above 90% in December, across more than 20 thousand hotel rooms.