Unpermitted Ad Boats in Cancún Lagoon

Cancún, Mexico — The presence of vessels with large advertising screens navigating the Nichupté Lagoon has generated concern among authorities and nautical service providers, due to a lack of regulation and the potential visual and environmental impact on an area categorized as highly sensitive.

According to the Secretariat of Ecology and Urban Development of Benito Juárez, the company "PubliBoat" began operating several months ago, promoting advertisements for restaurants, hotels, shopping malls, and entertainment centers. However, these services do not possess municipal urban image permits or business licenses.

The head of the department, Nahielli Orozco Lozano, confirmed that the City Council does not have the authority to intervene, as it is a federal zone.

"I have seen them too, but we have no way to regulate it because that is a federal zone. They operate in the lagoon, and we have no jurisdiction there. For our part, they do not have permits, because it is regulated by Semarnat and the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas," she stated.

The vessels are primarily observed during the night, when the illuminated screens are most visible on the body of water. The situation has raised doubts among tour operators, who warn that this type of advertising could affect the destination's image and alter the natural landscape.

The director of the Quintana Roo Nautical Association, Ricardo Muleiro López, indicated that there is still no official information about the companies involved but insisted that these projects must be reviewed in detail.

"It would be necessary to verify exactly what it is about, but there has always been an effort to avoid this type of invasive or spectacular advertising, considered visual pollution. It would be important for the surrounding natural protected areas to issue their technical opinion on the matter," he affirmed.

Muleiro recalled that the lagoon is part of an environmental system with channels, mangroves, and zones under the protection of the Flora and Fauna Protection Area "Manglares de Nichupté." Although some navigation routes are not within the protected polygon, any tourist or commercial activity in that zone must comply with permits from federal, state, and municipal instances, such as the Port Captaincy, Civil Protection, Firefighters, and Tourism.

To date, there has been no statement from Semarnat or the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas regarding this new model of floating advertising, while the nautical sector and environmental organizations continue to monitor its operation, given the risk that it could expand without a clear regulatory framework.