Cancun Hotels Unite Against Child Sex Exploitation Ahead of World Cup

Cancun, Quintana Roo — Cancun’s hotel sector is closing ranks and warning of “zero tolerance” for child sexual exploitation as the city prepares to host World Cup events. The industry is reinforcing protocols for prevention, detection and reporting to reduce risks to minors.

The Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres Hotel Association reaffirmed its commitment to “The Code,” an international code of conduct for the protection of children and adolescents from sexual exploitation in travel and tourism, in partnership with ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes). The association pledged to bring the code to every frontline worker across the destination’s 35,000 hotel rooms, making clear that no risk to children will be tolerated.

Lisbet Melo, executive vice president of the association, said the certification process has involved more than a year of training to sensitize the sector and all hotel staff on how, where and why this problem occurs, and the harm it causes. She noted that the issue has placed Mexico first and Cancun in a statistic “we don’t want to be in.”

Melo clarified that the statistic does not necessarily mean Cancun has the biggest problem — rather, reporting is increasing and making the issue visible. In the hotel sector, she said, the goal is to reduce incidents and encourage reporting, urging all hotels to join the certification and remain vigilant and trained to reinforce zero tolerance.

“We want our hotels to be completely safe environments for vacationers and the local population,” she said.

Norma Negrete of ECPAT noted that more than 400 corporate groups worldwide are part of this protection network. While the problem has stalled in some regions, she said, a 90% “black figure” of unreported cases persists.

A 2020-2025 diagnostic report described the commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents as a “silent pandemic” that mutates, hides and, painfully, becomes normalized.

“In Quintana Roo, 30% to 40% of people in prostitution in the area could be minors — that is, 4 out of 10 people,” Negrete said.

She said the problem persists and remains linked to underreporting, disappearances and the growth of internet-facilitated crimes. The rise in tourism across the state, combined with the digital era, has exponentially increased the risks of recruitment and abuse, she added. The association is assuming a leadership role to promote best practices among its members.

Negrete concluded: “The World Cup must be a celebration of joy and healthy coexistence, never an opportunity for sexual predators.”