Quintana Roo Hoteliers Push Regenerative Tourism Amid Beach Access Disputes

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Private tourism representatives in Quintana Roo are now casting themselves as champions of sustainable alternatives, organizing a forum on regenerative tourism even as long-standing complaints over dune construction, mangrove damage and restricted beach access remain unresolved.

The event, billed as “Toward Regenerative Tourism,” aims to connect the business sector with academia and civil society. It comes in a destination where residents and environmental groups continue to accuse resorts of altering coastal ecosystems and where hotels and beach clubs are still accused of keeping fences, checkpoints and “minimum consumption” charges that make it harder to reach public shoreline.

Patricia de la Peña and Rodrigo de la Peña, representatives of the Hotel Association of Cancún, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres, stressed the importance of joining forces to move toward a sustainable tourism model. Their message contrasts with years of criticism of hotel expansion and the occupation of the coastal strip, particularly buildings erected on dune areas and obstacles to free access to the seafront.

In Cancún, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, residents and environmental organizations have reported access restrictions even though beaches are public property under Mexican law. Fences, guard booths and mandatory consumption requirements keep the debate over public use of the coast alive.

Dune Construction Draws Federal Scrutiny

Structures built on coastal dunes have drawn scrutiny from the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) and the Federal Attorney’s Office for Environmental Protection (Profepa), which have flagged possible effects on coastal dynamics, increased erosion and greater vulnerability to hurricanes.

Activists and civil organizations add that some projects appear to lack complete environmental impact statements, and that access points listed in official documents exist on paper but not on the ground.

Araceli Domínguez Rodríguez, president of the Grupo Ecologista del Mayab (Gema), and other environmentalists said the real test is not whether the forum takes place but whether its pledges become verifiable measures. They called for the removal of structures installed on dunes, the opening of the 14 public access points they say Cancún is required by law to guarantee, and an end to practices that limit collective enjoyment of the coastal zone.

Beach Recovery Study Announced

Organizers also announced the start of a study aimed at restoring the state’s eroded beaches. Promoters described it as a comprehensive model involving both government and business, though the proposal arrives while questions persist about real estate expansion along the coast and the difficulty of reaching public spaces.

The analysis will be funded with revenue from the environmental sanitation fee paid by tourists. For 2026, the municipalities of Benito Juárez, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres expect to collect a combined 800 million pesos from the charge, earmarked for priority projects to protect the coastline and strengthen urban infrastructure.

The push for regenerative tourism stands in contrast to the ecological conflicts and access limits that have accompanied Quintana Roo’s tourism boom. The challenge will be turning the announced forum and study into concrete action on demands that residents and environmental defenders have raised for years.