Closure of Los Rápidos Threatens Bacalar’s Tourism Economy

Bacalar, Quintana Roo — The closure of the Los Rápidos swimming spot has dealt a direct blow to tourism in southern Quintana Roo, with six out of every 10 visitors naming the natural attraction among their main reasons for traveling to Bacalar, the town’s tourism department said.

Edmundo Hiram Gómez Koyoc, the department’s director, said the shutdown carries significant consequences for visitor numbers given how strongly travelers favor the site. A trip to Los Rápidos takes up practically a full day, he noted, which helps extend how long tourists stay in the destination.

Travelers also visit the Laguna de los Siete Colores, the San Felipe fort, the photographic museum and the Ichkabal archaeological site, Gómez Koyoc said, but Los Rápidos remains one of the main reasons people come to the municipality at all.

Keeping the site inactive could therefore shorten stays and dent the income of local service providers, he said.

The director acknowledged the importance of inspections by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (Profepa) in safeguarding natural resources. He argued, however, that the reviews and the process for responding to inspectors’ findings should be handled with closer coordination between local authorities and the business community to avoid bigger economic fallout.

Representatives of the Bacalar municipal government, the national chamber of commerce (Canaco) and the local hotel association have said they are willing to take part in efforts to speed up resolution of the pending requirements and reach a solution that reconciles environmental compliance with continued tourism activity.

With the winter holiday season approaching, business owners and tourism officials hope the site’s operators will quickly address Profepa’s requirements and restore the conditions needed for reopening.

The sector’s concern centers on what a closure during one of the busiest travel periods of the year could mean, given the weight the attraction carries in the decision to visit Bacalar, the length of visits and the spending that supports hotels, restaurants, transport operators and other service providers.