Visits to Quintana Roo Archaeological Sites Drop Nearly 30%

Cancun, Quintana Roo — Visitor numbers at the 13 archaeological sites open to the public in Quintana Roo continued to fall in the first half of 2026, with both domestic and international tourism declining.

In June, the sites received 77,156 visitors — 32,381 fewer than in the same month last year, when 109,537 people visited. The drop represents a decline of nearly 30%.

Tulum remains the state’s most visited archaeological site, accounting for 44.5% of all visits with 30,171 entries. However, it also recorded the largest drop, losing 21,631 visitors compared to June 2025.

Chacchoben ranked second with 17,716 visitors (25.9% of the state total), followed by Coba and San Gervasio, each with just over 6,000 visits. These figures were not enough to offset the overall decline in tourist activity.

Ichkabal, the much-anticipated new site in southern Quintana Roo, has also failed to take off. After years of negotiations to open it, the site received only 2,000 visitors in June — far below expectations.

Of the total visitors, 71% were international tourists (54,783 people), while domestic tourism was hit hardest. Mexican visitors fell from 41,547 in June 2025 to just 22,373 in the same period this year.

The negative trend was also seen in February, March, and May, with May being the worst month of the semester at just 75,803 visitors. The Quintana Roo Tourism Department (Sedetur) is betting that the summer vacation season will reverse the decline and help recover some of the lost tourist flow.