Playa del Carmen’s FIFA World Cup Pitch at Madrid Tourism Fair

MADRID, Spain — Playa del Carmen arrives with strength at the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) 2026, which officially begins this Wednesday at the IFEMA Madrid venue, where the destination projects itself not only as a modern and safe tourist reference point, but as the great paradise of the FIFA World Cup.

During a presentation prior to the start of the fair, the municipal Tourism Secretary, Estefanía Hernández, presented to more than 250 businessmen, travel agencies, tour operators, and strategic allies from countries such as Italy, Mexico, and Spain, the destination’s international promotion strategy, following the instruction of municipal president Estefanía Mercado.

The official highlighted that Playa del Carmen was chosen as the Base Camp for the Uruguay National Team heading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which confirms the high level of hotel and logistical infrastructure of the destination.

“Playa del Carmen was chosen as the Base Camp for the Uruguay national football team. We will have this World Cup representative at home for 40 days, which demonstrates the strength and capacity of our destination,” emphasized Hernández.

On behalf of Mayor Estefanía Mercado, the Tourism Secretary thanked the presence of Playa del Carmen’s sister cities: Málaga, Toledo, Querétaro, Mérida, Guanajuato —the latter in the process of becoming a sister city— and Riviera Cristalina, which accompanied the destination at this important international meeting.

During the presentation, businesswoman Fabiana Briseño, who heads the Playa del Carmen delegation at FITUR, highlighted that Playa del Carmen presents itself today as a renewed destination, with a broad portfolio of projects that strengthen the hospitality industry and trigger benefits for all productive sectors of the municipality.

In this same sense, Antón Bojórquez, Secretary of Economic Development and Investment Attraction, emphasized that Playa del Carmen is the destination with the greatest growth, driven by a new tourism model.

He explained that the municipal president’s vision is to transition from the traditional “All Inclusive” scheme to the concept of “Todos Incluidos” (All Included), with the objective that artisans, merchants, producers, and local service providers benefit directly from tourism.

“We firmly believe that there must be a better distribution of the wealth generated by tourism, so that prosperity is shared,” he affirmed.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, CULTURAL CAPITAL OF QUINTANA ROO

During his intervention, Ernesto Martínez, Director General of the Institute of Culture and the Arts, highlighted that in 2025 the municipal government organized a cultural program that brought together more than 1.5 million people, with the goal of surpassing that figure in 2026.

Among the events announced for this year are the Playa del Carmen Carnival, Caribe Suena, the International Theater Festival —with Russia as the guest country—, the Second International Book Fair —with Spain as the guest nation—, as well as emblematic celebrations such as Janal Pixan, swimming with the Bull Shark, and Playa Fest.

Representing Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa, the state’s Undersecretary of Tourism Promotion, Pablo Casas, recognized the Playa del Carmen delegation for its promotion strategy and recalled that FITUR is key to defining public policies and tourism strategies for the year.

It is worth remembering that recently the Governor presented the “Mexican Caribbean, Capital of Vacations” campaign, which integrates the 12 tourist destinations of Quintana Roo.

The event was attended by authorities, businessmen, consular representatives, influencers, and more than 15 businessmen from Playa del Carmen from the hotel, restaurant, and real estate sectors, in addition to national and international agencies, consolidating Playa del Carmen as one of the protagonists of FITUR 2026 and the World Cup.