Visitors Will Pay to Access Puerta al Mar, Mayor Confirms

Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo — Visitors will have to pay to access Puerta al Mar, the coastal area that residents of this municipality have long awaited, Mayor María Candelaria Hernández Solís confirmed Wednesday.

Hernández Solís said there is still no date for the project’s inauguration because administrative and legal issues remain unresolved.

“We want there to be maintenance, and that is where the debate comes in over how much to charge, how much will correspond to residents of Quintana Roo and how much to residents of Carrillo Puerto, who have dreamed of having access to the sea,” she said.

The mayor said the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) is currently responsible for ensuring no one enters the area. Once open, the project will be administered jointly by the state government through the Tourism Secretariat, the Felipe Carrillo Puerto ejido and the municipal government.

She defended the fee, noting that because the area is a protected natural reserve, charging for access is standard practice across the country. She added that local officials have requested that nearly all of the revenue be returned to the municipality to guarantee maintenance and provide security in the zone.

Hernández Solís also said the goal is to have just one toll booth, unlike other sites where tourists must pass through up to three.