Hotels Refuse to Pay for Sargassum Removal Amid Rising Costs

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Roberto Cintrón Gómez, former president of the Cancún, Puerto Morelos, and Isla Mujeres Hotel Association (AHCPMIM), has publicly opposed a recent municipal government directive requiring hotels to transport sargassum collected from their beaches to the landfill for final disposal.

The measure follows statements by Municipal President Ana Paty Peralta, who asserted that lodging establishments are responsible for cleaning their designated sections of the Federal Maritime-Terrestrial Zone (ZOFEMAT) and delivering the seaweed to an authorized treatment site.

Cintrón Gómez was unequivocal in his response, arguing that the sector already faces significant financial burdens and that assuming the additional cost of transporting sargassum is unjust. “We already have enough expenses as it is without having to haul sargassum to a disposal center. I haven’t seen any official communication from our [association’s] president, but I hope he says no,” he stated.

The former hotel association leader noted that sargassum tends to accumulate in specific areas of the beach, making it more efficient for the municipality to handle its removal. He also pointed out that hotels pay an Environmental Sanitation Fee, suggesting those funds could be allocated toward specialized machinery to address the issue collectively and in a coordinated manner.

The dispute arises amid a surge in sargassum arrivals, with recent reports indicating that the volume washing ashore in Cancún in just a few days has exceeded what was expected for an entire month.

The debate highlights ongoing tensions between private sector stakeholders and local authorities over responsibility for managing the environmental and economic impacts of sargassum influxes in Quintana Roo’s tourism-dependent coastal regions.