Cozumel Tourism Promoters Report 70% Drop in Summer Sales

Cozumel, Quintana Roo — Summer tourism promoters in Cozumel are reporting sales down by as much as 70 percent from the same period last year, according to the Union of Tourism Promoters and Commission Agents of the CTM.

The union’s secretary general, Carlos Díaz Herrera, said commercial activity is running at only 10 to 15 percent of what workers expected for the season, leaving some employees to end their shifts without completing a single sale.

“There are times we go home empty-handed,” Díaz Herrera said. “Last year there wasn’t a single day we didn’t sell something; now even a week can go by without closing a sale.”

He said the sector entered the summer vacation period with positive expectations, but visitor numbers have not lived up to forecasts. Domestic tourism has shown some presence, he added, but it has not been enough to offset the weak demand.

Díaz Herrera said promoters are hoping business improves during the first half of August, before families begin shifting spending toward back-to-school costs.

“If things don’t pick up in the first few days of August, the season basically won’t recover,” he warned.

The union leader also floated the possibility that the destination has not been promoted enough, though he acknowledged he doesn’t know the specific reasons for the downturn. He said tourism workers in Playa del Carmen have reported facing similar conditions this summer.