Mexico Blocks Tulum Hotel in Protected Park

Tulum, Mexico — The Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) has denied environmental impact authorization for the Paraíso hotel and beach club, a development located inside the Tulum National Park, a high-protection environmental zone under the control of the Mexican Army through the state-owned company Gafsacomm.

The project, promoted by the company Comercializadora Ivera, sought to operate a hotel, restaurant, and beach club that were constructed prior to receiving authorization. The request for authorization was submitted in May 2025 through an Environmental Impact Statement (MIA). After a review process lasting nearly five months, the federal agency resolved not to grant the permit, leaving the property in an irregular situation.

According to information published in Semarnat's Ecological Gazette, the denial was due to the development already being built within a protected natural area without having obtained the required authorizations beforehand.

The project is located in front of Playa Paraíso, very close to the Tulum archaeological zone and within the perimeter of the new Jaguar National Park, where access restrictions and conflicts with the local community have been documented.

This case adds to other irregular developments in the region, such as Adamar and Maiim, built in Tankah IV, also within the Tulum municipality, without the corresponding permits.

Currently, some hotel owners in the area have initiated legal proceedings due to access restrictions imposed on this coastal strip, which is considered one of the most significant points in the federal conservation policy for the Mexican Caribbean.

The area is administered by the Olmeca-Maya-Mexica Airport, Railway, Auxiliary and Related Services Group (Gafsacomm), a company operated by the Secretary of National Defense.

Semarnat's refusal reinforces the federal government's stance of avoiding the regularization of tourist developments that lack permits in protected areas, prioritizing environmental conservation in zones of high ecological sensitivity.