Quintana Roo to Transform Food Festivals Into Permanent Community Markets

Cozumel, Quintana Roo — Food festivals in Quintana Roo will no longer be isolated events but will instead spark permanent economic projects through a new initiative called Mercaditos, officials announced. The program aims to strengthen social economy and cooperativism across the state’s tourist destinations.

Andrés Aguilar Becerril, Undersecretary of Tourism Planning and Development, said this strategy will allow each culinary festival to establish monthly commercial spaces for traditional cooks and local producers. The move leverages the tourism exposure and visitor influx generated by these events.

The official explained that Mercaditos is a program led by Quintana Roo’s Tourism Secretariat in coordination with the Institute of Social and Solidarity Economy. It focuses on creating and strengthening social groups through cooperativism, providing them with training, equipment, and direct integration into the tourism value chain.

“The idea is that festivals are not just temporary events, but the starting point for permanent activities that generate direct income for communities,” Aguilar Becerril said.

He detailed that the strategy involves consolidating a monthly market in different neighborhoods for each destination visited by the Mexican Caribbean Gastronomic Festival. This approach uses the visibility and attendance generated by these events to launch sustainable economic activities based on local gastronomy, culture, and crafts.

The markets are typically composed of groups of about 10 people, primarily traditional cooks and local producers. The goal is for them to operate autonomously in the medium term and no longer depend on government support.

As part of this initiative, officials also launched a call to integrate the Mexican Caribbean Gastronomic Guide. This aims to connect restaurants already offering dishes from the “Sabores y Raíces: Un Viaje por el Caribe Mexicano” recipe book with the spaces where these festivals and markets take place.

The program will be officially presented during the Mexican Caribbean Gastronomic Festival, scheduled for February 21-22 at Cozumel’s Benito Juárez Park. The featured ingredient will be coconut, and organizers expect high tourist attendance.