Mexico City — President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed Wednesday that her administration is in talks with Royal Caribbean to relocate the cruise line’s canceled Perfect Day project in Mahahual, Quintana Roo, to a site with less environmental impact.
Speaking at her morning press conference, Sheinbaum said the Environment Department (Semarnat) determined that the proposed development posed risks to reef ecosystems and protected natural areas in the coastal region.
“These are private company projects that are analyzed according to Mexican regulations — particularly environmental impact and federal zone use rules, which fall under Semarnat,” Sheinbaum said.
The president noted that Royal Caribbean withdrew its proposal after Semarnat indicated it would not approve the project. “Royal Caribbean decided to withdraw its project, but Semarnat had already said the project would not be approved,” she said.
Sheinbaum added that discussions are ongoing with the company to identify alternative locations where a tourism development could meet environmental viability criteria and have a smaller ecological footprint.
“So the project will not go ahead there. We are talking with the company to see if there is a place that does not have these environmental impacts where the project could be developed, and that would be analyzed beforehand to see if it really has environmental viability,” she said.
The president also said Semarnat and the government of Quintana Roo are considering granting additional environmental protection status to the Mahahual area to restrict future large-scale projects. “In this zone, Semarnat and the governor are evaluating giving it a higher category of protection, for example, so that only ecotourism can be developed there under certain conditions,” Sheinbaum said.
Earlier this week, Semarnat head Alicia Bárcena announced that the agency would not authorize the Perfect Day project for multiple reasons.
