Riviera Maya Businesses Look to Winter Season After Disappointing Summer

Tulum, Quintana Roo — Business leaders in the Riviera Maya are counting on the upcoming winter season after a summer marked by lower-than-expected tourist numbers and weak economic results.

Carlos Marín Morales, president of the Coparmex Riviera Maya employers’ federation, described the summer vacation period as one of the most difficult in recent months. “It’s a reality: we are living through a very bad summer, and this situation has been building since April due to different factors,” he said.

He attributed the decline to security issues that affected the destination’s image, higher fuel prices that pushed up airfares, and reduced operations by airlines including Magnicharters and Spirit Airlines.

Marín Morales said the sector had expected the World Cup to draw visitors, but acknowledged that the event did not generate the anticipated influx to the Riviera Maya.

Despite the adverse outlook, he said there are positive expectations for the winter season, with strategies already being prepared to boost tourism activity during the final months of the year.

He also stressed the need for continued efforts to address the sargassum seaweed problem so it does not again undermine the destination’s competitiveness in 2027. “It seems there are good strategies for the winter; that’s the most important thing. We must keep working on the sargassum issue so it doesn’t catch us again next year,” he concluded.