Chetumal Chamber Chief Says Barrio Magico Must Be Anchor Project to Revive Economy

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — The president of the Canaco Chetumal-Tulum chamber of commerce said the city urgently needs a flagship tourism project to stop Belizean visitors from bypassing the capital in favor of Bacalar or Yucatan.

Adrienne Díaz Villanueva lamented that Chetumal has so far failed to develop integrated tourism products that would convince tourists to stay overnight. “We have things to offer, but they are isolated efforts that haven’t come together as a strategy,” she said.

She pointed to electric bicycle rentals along the boulevard and cooperative tours in Calderitas as examples of piecemeal initiatives. “We are working with them to access 120,000-peso credits so they can offer tours. But if tourists arrive and feel lost because there’s nothing integrated and attractive to do, they leave for somewhere else,” Díaz Villanueva said.

She identified the Barrio Magico project as the potential anchor product that could keep visitors in Chetumal. The chamber is also working with the Othon P. Blanco municipal government to survey Belizean tourists at the fiscal pier, the ADO bus terminal, and a shopping plaza to better understand their behavior.

Díaz Villanueva said the chamber plans to revive sister-city agreements with Belizean municipalities to foster cultural, academic, and business exchanges. “We are working with Belize’s tourism association and with SEDE and Artemio Santos to restore the twinning between Chetumal and Belize,” she said.

“Belizean tourists keep coming to Chetumal, but they don’t stay — they prefer to go to Bacalar or Merida,” she added. “What we want is to promote spaces that make tourists stay in the south instead of leaving for Bacalar or Yucatan.”