Cancun, Q.R. — Construction for the Riu Hotel and Resorts in Cancun has been given the go-ahead after obtaining a new judicial order. The Eighteenth Collegiate Court based in Mexico City granted the hotel chain a new environmental guarantee to continue with the construction of its hotel in Punta Nizuc.
In accordance with the judgment, it asserts that “the evidence provided and assessed generate the conviction that there is no coastal dune formation on the property where the project will be carried out.”
The ruling came after several construction setbacks due to legal challenges from both the private sector and the National Fund Tourism Promotion (Fonatur), who, in the past, has made it clear that they do not approve of the hotel project saying it must be readjusted or developed in another state due to be overdensified. However, state and municipal governments defend the project, saying that it has all permits in order.
The current RIU project in Punta Nizuc comes in at around $118 million USD and is expected to generate 1,500 jobs during the construction phase with more than 500 direct jobs once it is fully operational.