Chetumal, Quintana Roo — A tourism initiative known as the “Chetumal-Bacalar Romance Route” is working to establish itself as a major platform for wedding tourism in the southern Mexican Caribbean, with organizers projecting significant economic benefits for the region.
José Blanco MacLiberty, the main promoter of the route, said the project aims to expand beyond its current anchors of Chetumal and Bacalar to include destinations like Felipe Carrillo Puerto and Calderitas, where several weddings have already been organized.
“Bacalar is a very well-positioned destination and the anchor site of the route, but Felipe Carrillo Puerto has incredible cenotes and Calderitas has Chetumal Bay and the Manatee Sanctuary,” Blanco MacLiberty said.
He reported that 70 businesses are currently affiliated with the initiative, providing services focused on the wedding sector. Since the start of 2026, organizers have been handling four to six weddings each weekend, with a goal of increasing to eight events per week throughout the year.
“Regarding affiliation, we are progressing at a good pace and our goal this year is to reach 350 affiliated businesses,” Blanco MacLiberty stated. “Each wedding event can generate an economic spillover of between 500,000 and one million pesos, depending on the number of guests and the profile of the people coming to the destination.”
He explained that this economic impact is distributed primarily across lodging, transportation, and food services. Each wedding directly involves 20 to 40 companies, but indirectly can activate a chain of 80 to 100 businesses.
Blanco MacLiberty added that Bacalar is the most requested destination in the southern Caribbean, followed by the state capital, Chetumal. However, Felipe Carrillo Puerto and Calderitas are beginning to stand out due to their unique natural beauty.
He described the Chetumal-Bacalar Romance Route as a collective, solid platform with international projection, created to unite and strengthen all actors in the romance tourism sector in southern Quintana Roo.
“Here you are not alone; you are accompanied by a network of professionals, a strategic vision, and a clear path toward growth,” Blanco MacLiberty concluded. “To be part of this great initiative, the first step is to affiliate with the DWSA, the Destination Wedding Specialist Association, the leading association in the professionalization of romance tourism in Mexico and Latin America.”
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