Southern Quintana Roo Business Leaders Demand Inclusion in State Tourism Promotion

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Business leaders and civic organizations in southern Quintana Roo say the state’s tourism promotion council has failed to respond to their requests for inclusion in marketing strategies, leaving regional events without formal support despite a budget exceeding 700 million pesos annually.

The criticism comes as municipal councilors in Othón P. Blanco seek to revive a local tourism promotion board for the state capital. Business representatives lament that the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council (CPTQR) has not incorporated them into planning discussions or provided backing for events in the southern part of the state.

They noted that while Governor Mara Lezama has publicly committed to bridging development gaps between the north and south, no institutional framework has been established. This creates uncertainty for southern businesses, particularly as the 2026 budget is already being implemented and promotion campaigns are underway.

A coalition of business leaders—including Josué Osmany Palomo of Coparmex Chetumal, Georgina Marzuca Fuentes of the Chetumal Citizens’ Council, Gerardo Pérez Zafra of Coparmex Mahahual, Eduardo Jesús Marzuca of AMPI, and others—argued the CPTQR should allocate resources to promote fishing tournaments, marathons, tourism forums, fairs, and festivals in the region.

The group said they have communicated multiple times with Senator Eugenio Segura and State Tourism Secretary Bernardo Cueto but have received no concrete response.

In 2025, events such as the San Judas Tadeo Fishing Tournament, Rivero’s Fishing Tournament, 21k Chetumal, Xanal Pixan Mahahual, the Rural and Community Tourism Forum, the Coconut Fair, the Jats’a Já Festival, and various film festivals operated without structured, institutionally-backed promotion from the CPTQR, despite their economic and tourism significance.

“Although we have requested it, no formal mechanism has been established to allow organized participation from the south in defining, monitoring, or evaluating promotional actions that directly impact our region,” the leaders stated.

They added, however, that they remain hopeful their request will be addressed during the first quarter of 2026 through a working meeting in Chetumal.