Cozumel, Quintana Roo — Mexico’s environmental authority has postponed a decision on Royal Caribbean’s proposed $75 million beach club in Cozumel, a project that residents and activists say threatens one of the island’s last public beaches.
The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) announced on May 12 that it would extend the review period for the project’s environmental impact statement by up to 60 business days. The move mirrors the agency’s handling of Royal Caribbean’s rejected Perfect Day project in Mahahual, which was denied earlier this week.
The proposed Royal Beach Club Cozumel would be built on a 17-hectare site near Playa Mía and Playa Sol, two of the few remaining public beach access points on the island’s western coast. The club would accommodate up to 4,000 visitors daily and 1.4 million annually, featuring 2,000 loungers and 24 palapas.
Residents have been organizing for over two years to protect Playa Mía, which is accessible via a narrow right-of-way path. They argue the project would effectively privatize the beach and could harm the nearby Cozumel Reefs National Park.
“We collected 19,000 signatures against it,” said Guadalupe Martín, an environmental activist in Cozumel for more than 20 years. “That shows the will of the people of Cozumel.”
Royal Caribbean’s environmental impact statement acknowledges six “severe” environmental impacts among 15 assessed components, including loss of vegetation cover, damage to mangroves, reduction of native flora, and permanent habitat alteration for wildlife. Seven components are classified as having moderate impacts, while only air quality and noise are considered compatible.
The company plans to clear 1.7 hectares of vegetation but says 85% of removed flora will be preserved through a restoration program, and 90% of fauna will be relocated without harm.
“The Royal Beach Club will be developed on a site with existing infrastructure and will add new spaces within the authorized area, improving the guest experience without generating additional pressure on local resources,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement. “We remain committed to guaranteeing beach access in accordance with Mexican law.”
Ari Adler Brotman, president of Royal Caribbean Mexico, said the company is open to adapting to whatever the authorities decide. “If Semarnat were to reject the request, we would study under what conditions or concepts it was rejected and study the possibility of adapting and working with them on something that could be accepted,” he said.
Despite legal protections guaranteeing public access to beaches under Mexico’s General Law of National Assets, activists say such rules are rarely enforced. On Cozumel’s western side, many beaches are blocked by hotels, residential developments, and private clubs that charge entry fees ranging from $40 to over $75 per person, often with mandatory food and beverage minimums.
Semarnat has recently rejected several other projects on the island, including a fourth cruise ship pier, a pedestrian tunnel, and an expansion of the existing international pier operated by SSA Mexico.
The environmental impact statement for Royal Beach Club spans 642 pages and outlines a project lifespan of 26 years and three months. The company says it will create 180 construction jobs and 2,000 operational positions.
“The guarantee of beach access is not given by Royal Caribbean; it is enshrined in the Constitution,” Adler Brotman said. But islanders fear they will lose what they consider the last public beach in the area, as has happened with other developments.
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