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AMLO orders investigation into Cancun, Riviera Maya public beach access for tourists and not locals

Riviera Maya, Q.R. — President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has issued instructions to the head of the Ministry of Tourism (Sectur) to investigate the situation regarding the beaches of Quintana Roo.

Miguel Torruco Márques has been instructed to look into the current situation of beaches being closed to locals but open to tourists. Cancun and Riviera Maya beaches have remained off limits for locals for months due to the Covid-19 epidemic, however, with the reopening of hotels in mid-June, tourists have been granted beach access, while locals have been repeatedly denied.

Hotels along the Federal Terrestrial Maritime Zone can allow guests or clients to access the state’s public beaches, but locals can only access these same public beaches by paying for a hotel day pass.

The request for the investigation came from AMLO during his Friday morning press conference after a reporter questioned the president about hotels defending the decision to allow tourists and not locals to access public beaches.

“I don’t know what decision has been made. I will ask the Secretary of tourism, Miguel Torruco, to issue a point of view, an opinion on the case,” replied the president later adding that “in this position, recommendations of the Ministry of Health should be taken into account.”

There has yet to be a reply from Secretaría de Turismo (Sectur) who has been criticized in recent days by the former undersecretary of tourism, Simon Levy, for his lack of action regarding the public beach situation.