Mahahual, Quintana Roo — The Quintana Roo government will begin work in the coming weeks to rehabilitate the Mahahual boardwalk and the town’s main tourist streets, with an investment exceeding 200 million pesos (about $10 million), state Tourism Secretary Bernardo Cueto Riestra announced.
The project is part of a broader strategy to modernize the urban image of Mahahual and prepare it for a growing number of visitors, while the federal government decides the fate of the tourism project proposed by Royal Caribbean for the area, Cueto said.
“The state government will invest more than 200 million pesos. Work on the boardwalk and tourist streets will begin soon. We are going to beautify this great destination while the federal strategy is defined,” he stated.
The renovation of the port of Othón P. Blanco is part of a wider program to strengthen tourism infrastructure across Quintana Roo, which also includes investments in Tulum, Cozumel, Chetumal, and Felipe Carrillo Puerto, aimed at maintaining the competitiveness of Mexican Caribbean destinations.
Regarding Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day project, Cueto noted that it remains under review by the federal government after being halted due to environmental concerns. A working group involving federal and state authorities is discussing the future of tourism development in Mahahual.
“We are waiting for the federal government’s strategy for the destination to potentially reactivate major investments like Royal Caribbean’s, possibly in a different form than originally proposed, but one that benefits the community economically and respects the environment,” he said.
Cueto acknowledged that the summer tourist season has faced challenges due to international factors, including higher aviation fuel costs and reduced air routes stemming from financial issues at some airlines. However, he noted that the Mexican Caribbean received more than nine million tourists during the first half of the year, maintaining the region’s status as Latin America’s top tourist destination.
He also highlighted that a trust fund financed by the Environmental Sanitation Fee charged to cruise passengers will fund new investments in arrival ports and related municipalities. Among planned projects is one for Othón P. Blanco to strengthen Chetumal’s historic center and expand attractions for visitors arriving by sea.
