Cancún Restaurants Brace for Tough Low Season as Tourism Slips, Canirac Says

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Cancún’s restaurant sector is bracing for a difficult low season in September and October, with some establishments at risk of suspending operations as tourist arrivals slow and back-to-school spending cuts into demand, according to the local chapter of Canirac, Mexico’s national restaurant chamber.

Canirac Cancún President Perla Flores Navarro said affiliated restaurants operated at occupancy levels of between 40% and 60% for most of the summer. In August, some establishments saw demand recover by nearly 10 percent, allowing certain businesses to reach up to 70% occupancy on weekdays and around 80% on some weekends.

The return to classes is expected to weigh on consumption once more, she said, especially because tourist numbers have not reached the levels the sector anticipated.

Restaurants Cut Costs to Weather Slowdown

Restaurants have begun adopting measures to lower operating costs. “One of the main strategies is partial closures of areas in high-capacity establishments, concentrating diners in specific spaces to reduce operating expenses without completely suspending service,” Flores Navarro said.

Those measures should help businesses get through September and October, although she acknowledged that some establishments may not be able to remain open until activity recovers in December.

Canirac is also planning ahead for the year-end season by promoting event bookings from September and October onward. “The goal is to begin receiving deposits for holiday posadas, family gatherings and corporate celebrations, giving restaurants liquidity during the months of lowest activity,” she said.

New Openings Not Enough to Offset Closures

Despite the unfavorable outlook, the sector continues to see new investment. Three affiliated restaurants opened in downtown Cancún and the Hotel Zone in August, and between five and eight new establishments opened during the first half of the year.

Even so, the growth has not been enough to restore the sector’s previous economic strength. Around 15 restaurants went out of operation in the last quarter of 2025, Flores Navarro said, leaving an incomplete recovery.

While some new businesses are gaining ground through administrative and operational strategies, the relationship between openings and closures could turn unfavorable in the coming months, she added.