Playa del Carmen Bets on Business Tourism to Boost Off-Season Hotel Occupancy

Playa del Carmen, Mexico — Playa del Carmen is shifting its tourism strategy to focus on business and convention travel as a way to boost hotel occupancy during the traditionally slower months, officials announced following the city’s participation in an international trade fair.

Municipal Tourism Secretary Estefania Hernandez said the destination’s presence at the 2026 International Tourism Fair (Fitur) in Madrid, Spain, was specifically targeted at the MICE market—Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions—which is considered one of the most economically lucrative tourism segments.

More than 100 hotels in Playa del Carmen already have the infrastructure and services to accommodate this market, allowing the destination to compete for national and international events. During the fair, initial contacts were made with over 30 companies specializing in business tourism, in coordination with local hotel and business representatives.

Hernandez explained that, unlike the previous year’s broad promotional approach, this year’s participation had stricter, more segmented objectives, leading to focused business meetings. The goal is to create an extended season of congresses, conventions, and incentive travel from September through December to help stabilize hotel occupancy rates.

In a related development, Playa del Carmen received an Excelencias Turísticas award for its innovative “Ruta de la Miel y la Selva” (Honey and Jungle Route). This international recognition, with over 20 years of history, honors innovative tourism products. The route, developed with communities like Santa Cecilia and Mezcalito, is part of a diversification strategy to expand offerings beyond traditional sun-and-beach tourism.

During Fitur, promotion and commercialization efforts also advanced for other themed routes, including the Sea Route, Art Route, and Cycling Route, presented to more than 40 retail and wholesale agencies. The objective for this second year is for these products to generate direct benefits for the involved communities and help increase the average length of visitor stays.

Another launch was the “Corredor de los Cenotes México” (Mexico Cenote Corridor), an initiative that creates inter-destination alliances with Valladolid, Mérida, Tulum, and Bacalar to encourage road trips and extended stays originating from Playa del Carmen.

The promotion also highlighted community tourism experiences, such as bird watching in Ushushubi, visits to Punta Laguna, and bull shark diving—an activity that attracts approximately 30,000 visitors annually.

On the international front, an alliance was signed with Italy’s Riviera Cristalina to create a “world rivieras” corridor, with plans to promote commercial missions and sustainability exchanges. The proposal considers possibly incorporating other destinations like Riviera Nayarit and the French Riviera.

Regarding romance tourism, which has seen a slight decline in recent years, Hernandez noted it remains a relevant driver, with new markets like India and Asia being explored to strengthen this segment. For training, the Tourist Attention and Protection Center (CAPTA) offers instruction in four languages and is working to expand its coverage to Asian markets.