Playa del Carmen Mayor Unites With Business Leaders to Tackle Sargassum Crisis

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Mayor Estefanía Mercado met Tuesday with hotel and business leaders to strengthen coordination in the fight against sargassum, the seaweed that has been piling up on Caribbean beaches.

The meeting included Valeria Rindertsma, president of the Mexican Association of Women Business Executives (AMEXME); Carlos Marín, president of COPARMEX Riviera Maya; and Toni Chaves, president of the Riviera Maya Hotel Association.

“We took this opportunity to recognize and thank the great effort that hotels in our destination make every day in cleaning and maintaining their beachfronts, contributing decisively to the protection of our main natural heritage,” Mercado said at the meeting held in the Javier Rojo Gómez hall of the old City Hall.

Joined by City Secretary Luis Herrera Quiam, Government Secretary Arturo Castro Duarte, and councilman Fernando Muñoz Calero, the mayor emphasized that the best response to the challenge facing the entire Caribbean is teamwork among government, private sector, and society.

Participants agreed on the importance of maintaining constant communication and strengthening coordination mechanisms to promptly address the effects of sargassum landings and preserve the quality of the beaches that make Playa del Carmen a globally recognized tourist destination.

Mercado said her administration maintains a comprehensive vision for environmental protection and tourism development, promoting actions to conserve coastal ecosystems, ensure clean public spaces, and provide a better experience for residents and visitors. She acknowledged the responsible participation of the business and hotel sectors, whose commitment has been essential in facing the challenges posed by this natural phenomenon, especially during peak sargassum seasons.

“The greatness of Playa del Carmen is built with the sum of wills. When society, businesspeople, and government work in the same direction, we are capable of facing any challenge and continuing to consolidate a competitive, sustainable, and attractive destination for everyone,” she concluded.