Tulum’s Tourism Slump: Blame These Projects

TULUM — Eugenio Barbachano Losa, the fifth councilman of the Tulum municipal government, issued a series of direct statements concerning issues that, he asserted, "no one wants to touch in Tulum out of fear," but which are fundamental to understanding the tourism and economic crisis currently facing the municipality.

The pronouncement was made within the context of the approval of a new loan for 76 million pesos, similar to other credits contracted by past administrations. While he acknowledged that this type of financing is not new, Barbachano emphasized that there are deeper problems that must be addressed urgently.

A central point of his intervention was criticism of the administration of the Jaguar Park—formerly the Tulum National Park—which he directly blamed for a drop of between 50 and 60 percent in the number of visitors to the Tulum archaeological zone, as the site is located within the park's boundaries. According to the councilman, the manner in which access has been managed has significantly impacted tourist traffic.

In contrast, he recognized the effort of hotel and restaurant entrepreneurs in the southern coastal zone, who, he said, have actively joined forces to promote the destination. "With them, there will be no need to be asking for voter ID cards because there are no toll booths to access," he quipped, alluding to the bureaucratic hurdles faced by visitors and service providers.

Barbachano underscored that tourism is Tulum's only industry and warned that many of the major federal investments are not generating the promised results, citing as examples the Maya Train—in which more than 600 billion pesos were invested—and the Tulum International Airport, whose operations face logistical complications and high transportation costs due to its location in Felipe Carrillo Puerto.

"Those are the issues that no one wants to touch, but the time has come to do so. The Jaguar Park, the Maya Train, and the airport are not pulling their weight, and the numbers are there," he stated emphatically.

Finally, the councilman called for a re-evaluation of strategies to recover the tourist dynamism that characterized Tulum in previous years, when low seasons were not as critical and high seasons reached historic levels.