Cozumel, Q.R. — Users of the Asipona Marina in Cozumel have reached a payment agreement after negotiations and an adjustment. The adjustment is meant to be fair and affordable for boat owners who depend on tourism as their primary source of income.
Users of the private marina, most of whom are tourist services providers, reached a monthly payment agreement with the company who took over the marina after the departure of Fonatur.
Initially, boat owners were presented with a significant monthly fee increase of nearly one thousand percent with the handover of new management. William Güemes Vidal, President of the Cooperative Association of Aquatic Operators in Cozumel, says the fee increase came when the the marina changed jurisdiction, leaving it in charge of Asipoma in Puerto Progreso, Yucatan.
In January, the 248 boat owners that use the marina sent a proposal to Asipona for analysis, however, a response was delayed since the company changed its general manager. This week, an agreement was reached for monthly fees for boatowners to dock at the marina. On average, each boatowner will pay around 2,000 pesos to dock. The fees are calculated on several factors, one of which is boat length.
Güemes Vidal said the biggest concern was not about not wanting to pay but rather about having a fair charge in relation to the services offered on the premises to boat owners.
Thus, a proposal was submitted which outlined the island’s tourism situation, the main activity promoted by the users of the marina, and on which nearly 1,000 families depend.
“We now have affordable prices and as boaters, we agree to pay these new rates. We hope they remain at this same price for several years since the island has low and high tourist seasons, which don’t always guarantee us the means to pay a high price,” Güemes Vidal noted.
