Tulum Hotels Close as Tourism Slump Cuts Occupancy to 15%

Tulum, Quintana Roo — Hotels in Tulum are closing and others are weighing whether to operate seasonally as tourist arrivals have plunged, leaving average occupancy at just 15 percent along the coastal zone, according to the region’s top hotel industry official.

David Ortiz Mena, president of the Mexican Caribbean Hotel Council and the Tulum Hotel Association, said current visitor numbers are not enough to cover payroll, while operators also face steep costs for sargassum cleanup that can reach 500,000 pesos a week.

“It has been a complicated season, not only because of the amount of sargassum, but also other challenges like fewer airline seats and changing traveler behavior because of the World Cup,” Ortiz Mena said during the annual meeting of the Caribbean Business Coordinating Council. “There are indeed reports of hotels that have closed. Some in Tulum are evaluating operating seasonally. It’s difficult to have low occupancy and also deal with sargassum cleanup costs.”

He also pointed to the proliferation of short-term vacation rentals, especially in Tulum, which has 4,500 listings on digital platforms. That number is “disproportionate” given the destination’s infrastructure, he said, especially compared to Cancun, which is much larger but has 6,500 listings.

Occupancy has been weak since May, and hotels are expected to continue operating at a loss until the second half of October, with occupancy running about 20 percent below 2024 levels.

“It would help a lot to have support from development banks to restructure the sector,” Ortiz Mena said, adding that the request has been presented to federal and state authorities.

Winter season outlook brighter

Despite the current slump, winter expectations are strong and could even top 2025, based on the current pace of reservations.

Ortiz Mena noted that after the capture and death of Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” in February, reservations to Quintana Roo nearly stopped, but destinations are recovering from that blow to their image.

With a strong winter season expected, he said efforts should focus on improving the visitor experience in areas such as mobility, sargassum response, and police training.

“We need to work to make the winter season a good one. This year left us many lessons,” he said.

Asked about security, Ortiz Mena said it falls on Mexico to change the narrative, since there has been no federal tourism promotion since 2019 and negative news dominates international headlines.

“Without an articulated strategy, news from other parts of Mexico can be confused with the Mexican Caribbean,” he said.