Tulum Business Leaders Launch Discount Card to Boost Local Economy

TULUM, Quintana Roo — Tulum residents will soon be able to apply for a free discount card offering savings at restaurants, cafés, cenotes, attractions and other participating businesses across the municipality.

The new Somos Tulum program was presented Friday as a citizen-led effort to encourage residents to spend locally during a difficult period for the destination’s economy. Approximately 50 establishments have agreed to participate, and organizers plan to distribute 1,000 cards during the first stage.

Depending on the business, cardholders could receive discounts of 10%, 15% or 20%, as well as special promotions and, in some cases, complimentary admission. Each participating establishment will determine its own offer and any conditions attached to it.

Who will qualify?

The card will be free, but the initial 1,000 cards will be reserved for people who can prove that they live in the municipality of Tulum.

Organizers have not yet published the exact documentation applicants will need. It is therefore not clear whether acceptable proof will include an INE voter card, residency card, utility bill, rental agreement or another document showing a Tulum address.

The program has been described as open to Tulum residents rather than Mexican citizens specifically. However, foreign residents should wait for the final application rules before assuming that a temporary or permanent residency card combined with local proof of address will be accepted.

How to apply

Organizers said a digital platform would be activated in the coming days. Residents will eventually be able to use it to:

• Review the eligibility requirements.
• Register for a card.
• Find participating businesses.
• Check the discount or promotion offered by each business.
• Review any restrictions attached to individual offers.

The first in-person application or distribution point is expected to operate through Alma Animal Tulum. Additional modules and distribution methods are also planned, including registration opportunities promoted through the program’s social media channels.

No opening date, application link or distribution schedule has been released. Residents should not visit Alma Animal solely to collect a card until organizers confirm that registration and distribution have begun.

Registration was not yet open when the program was announced on August 7.

Where will the card be valid?

Somos Tulum will not provide an automatic discount at every business in the municipality. It will be valid only at affiliated establishments.

The initial network of approximately 50 participants reportedly includes restaurants, cafés, cenotes, tourism businesses, service providers and other local merchants. A complete list has not yet been published.

Participating businesses will display a Somos Tulum decal or sign so cardholders can identify them. The forthcoming digital platform will provide the more useful reference, listing each business alongside its current offer and conditions.

Discounts will vary rather than follow one standard rate. Cardholders will need to check whether an offer applies every day, excludes certain products or requires advance reservations. Those details remain to be announced.

Businesses invited to join

The initiative is being promoted by Caminemos Unidos por Tulum A.C., businessman and city council member Jorge Portilla Mánica and representatives from several business and civic organizations.

Participating groups include the Tulum Business Coordinating Council, the Mexican Association of Women Business Owners, CANACO Servytur, representatives involved in establishing a local CANIRAC chapter, the Tulum Tourism Promotion Council and the artisans’ committee at the archaeological zone’s craft plaza.

Jesús Sargento of Caminemos Unidos por Tulum said the intention is for residents to see a direct benefit in their household spending while directing more business toward locally operated establishments.

“The idea is for people to see it reflected in their pockets,” Sargento said. “If we all support this product, which does not belong to any one person but is civic-minded and belongs to everyone, we can move it forward and create a benefit for the community.”

Portilla said the program gives Tulum’s business and civic sectors an opportunity to respond constructively to the municipality’s economic challenges.

More establishments are being invited to join, meaning the number of participating businesses could grow beyond the initial 50. For residents interested in obtaining the card, the practical next step is to wait for the registration platform, confirmed document requirements and participating-business directory to be released.