Tulum Tour Guides Pin Recovery Hopes on Cruise Ships and Year-End Holidays

Tulum, Quintana Roo — Tour operators who lead guided visits to Tulum’s archaeological zone expect visitor numbers to pick up in the second half of October, driven largely by cruise passengers who call at Cozumel and then travel on to attractions across Quintana Roo, local guide Alejandro Torres Perera said.

Torres Perera said cruise tourism is a major source of visitors for Tulum because of the excursions that leave Cozumel for the mainland. The rise in arrivals forecast for the coming months has raised hopes of more work for those who depend on guided tours.

December Could Bring a Second Boost

Torres Perera said expectations also rest on the December holiday season, when tourism traditionally rises. For guides, the two periods together could mark a recovery after months of weak demand.

He acknowledged, however, that the sector is keeping its forecasts modest and does not expect to reach the levels seen in previous years. In stronger seasons, he recalled, activity ranged between 90 and 100 percent — figures that operators now consider difficult to repeat.

Service providers hope the traffic generated by cruise ships and then by the year-end holidays will gradually increase the number of tours. Whether that happens will depend on how many visitors actually travel from Cozumel and other destinations to the Tulum archaeological zone.