Quintana Roo Gains Power to Inspect Tourism Service Providers

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Quintana Roo has been authorized to act as a verifier of compliance with Mexico’s General Tourism Law, its regulations and the sector’s official Mexican standards, under a coordination agreement between the state government and the federal Tourism Ministry (Sectur).

The agreement allows personnel from the Quintana Roo Tourism Ministry to conduct on-site visits at establishments across the state and check whether service providers meet the requirements set out in those rules.

How the Inspections Will Work

The agreement, filed with the National Commission for Regulatory Improvement (Conamer), calls for visit orders issued by Sectur’s Directorate General of Standardization and Verification. The state will carry out the inspection, compile the case file and forward it to that directorate, which will handle the infraction procedure through a ruling and notification to the provider.

The federal government is not surrendering its original authority. It retains oversight and may review the state’s actions at any time.

Officials said the goal is to confirm compliance with tourism regulations, their associated rules and the Quality Infrastructure Law as it relates to official Mexican tourism standards and related benchmarks, in line with the Federal Administrative Procedure Law.

During each visit, inspectors check that the provider presents documentation proving compliance with those obligations and that services are delivered under the terms the standard sets to protect tourists’ safety and rights. Inspections will focus on businesses that already have complaints or recorded grievances filed against them.

In each case, the state will set out in writing the violations attributed to the establishment so that the visit order specifies its purpose and scope and does not duplicate the work of federal authorities.

Requirements for Inspectors

Personnel conducting the visits must demonstrate knowledge or training in tourism, legal or administrative matters, have no criminal record and have not been sanctioned for an administrative offense. The federal ministry issues their credentials, which become void if the individual leaves the post.

Within the first ten calendar days of each month, the state will send a report of the previous month’s activities and its case files in digital format to the Directorate General of Standardization and Verification.

No money changes hands between the two sides: each covers the costs generated by the agreement.

The agreement runs until September 24, 2027, and can only be amended in writing. Either party may terminate it with at least 15 calendar days’ notice, though visits already underway will continue to their conclusion.

Its sole annex is the Manual for the Verification of Tourism Service Providers, which sets the verifier’s introductory script, the completion of the detailed inspection record and the forms used when a provider accepts the visit, refuses it, or when the establishment has closed, shut down or changed its line of business.