Southern Quintana Roo Economic Diversification Still Pending, State Official Tells Lawmakers

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Quintana Roo’s top economic development official acknowledged to state lawmakers that the southern half of the state remains shut out of most of the investment flowing into the region, with hotel and service projects overwhelmingly concentrated in the north.

Paul Carrillo de Cáceres, head of the state Economic Development Department (SEDE), made the admission while appearing before the Economic Development Commission of the XVIII Legislature to expand on the fourth government report of Governor Mara Lezama.

He pointed to several bright spots, saying Quintana Roo ranks ninth nationally in competitiveness, second in economic growth and has lifted more than 200,000 residents out of poverty. The challenge, he said, is to sustain that growth and turn it into broader opportunity.

Carrillo attributed a contraction in the state’s gross domestic product to the completion of major construction projects, including the Maya Train and the Nichupté bridge in Cancún.

Foreign investment and formal employment

The secretary said Quintana Roo ranks fourth nationally in foreign investment, drawing $3.238 billion between September 2022 and March 2026, mainly into lodging and food. He said he expects manufacturing and real estate services to follow.

He told lawmakers the state’s unemployment rate sits below the national average and that Quintana Roo ranks third nationally in the number of workers registered with the IMSS (Mexican Social Security Institute), with 55,606 formal jobs. Those positions are concentrated in temporary lodging, retail, construction and food and beverage preparation.

The state’s informal employment rate stands at 44 percent, the seventh lowest in the country, he added.

Carrillo highlighted support for roughly 390 micro and small business owners across the state, who received 607.6 million pesos through Nacional Financiera, Canacintra and Fofinqroo.

Cancún Financial District and the Chetumal development pole

Carrillo presented the Cancún Financial District as a cornerstone project for diversifying the economy through highly specialized services, even though President Claudia Sheinbaum has suspended its execution. He also cited a circular-economy development pole, where he said 13 companies have expressed interest in making use of sargassum.

He said the Chetumal Development Pole has drawn interest from at least 23 companies in electricity, metallurgy, agro-industrial machinery and equipment, communications and international trade. A contract worth $24 million has already been signed with the firm Zeneth Aeronáutica, he said.

Carrillo estimated the Chetumal pole could eventually generate as many as 16,000 jobs, but cautioned that results would not come overnight. He said the companies interested in setting up there have conditioned their investments on operation of the cargo train, a customs facility at Chetumal International Airport and a fiscal precinct.

He acknowledged that moving the development pole’s projects forward is complicated by heavy paperwork and support requirements, though he said the arrival of at least one investor is close to being finalized.

Lawmakers press on budget and rural programs

During the question period, Carrillo conceded that the department struggles to secure resources and keep its programs running in rural communities. Rep. Euterpe Gutiérrez Valasis questioned whether those programs can continue, given that they depend on municipal governments to provide lodging and meals for trainers.

Responding to Rep. Filiberto Martínez, Carrillo acknowledged that SEDE has the second-lowest budget of all state departments, though he maintained that its work is reflected in the indicators he presented.

Diversification described as a long-standing debt

The secretary acknowledged that diversifying the southern economy is an outstanding debt inherited from several previous administrations. He said that in 25 years of political experience he had never seen such a clear determination to reach that goal — not even during his own tenure as mayor of Benito Juárez.

Carrillo noted that the state’s major public works are financed with federal money, which ultimately comes from taxes, and argued that no previous administration had pursued the lobbying efforts he credits Governor Mara Lezama with carrying out. Without those resources, he added, Quintana Roo would be facing infrastructure problems.

He said reaching economic diversification is a complex task and admitted the state has not managed to get hotel chains to buy enough of the goods produced in central and southern Quintana Roo, citing the chains’ own operating policies. The government cannot simply force hotels to stock local products, he explained, nor can it cover the cost of placing them there under government operating rules.

In closing, Carrillo urged lawmakers themselves to change their consumption habits and buy products made in Quintana Roo, arguing that boosting local spending is one more route toward diversifying the state’s economy.