Mahahual, Q.R. — Mexico’s Ministry of Environment says projects should only be announced after they are approved. Months of protests, legal issues and over 4.8 million online rejection signatures were part of the reaction to the premature Royal Caribbean Mahahual project announcement.
Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources head Alicia Bárcena said Friday that projects like Mahahual should only be announced after they have met the government’s regulatory requirements.
According to Bárcena, Royal Caribbean announced the project in 2024, but did not submit project paperwork until the end of 2025.
Bárcena recalled that the project was announced in October of 2024, but the environmental impact statement was not submitted until December of 2025. She said she remembered warning the Ministries of Tourism and Economy that the project had been announced, but had not been submitted for environmental assessment.
“I remember discussing that with the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Economy, that the project had not yet been submitted for environmental assessment,” she said.
“I believe that the important thing is that each project that is going to be announced, is announced only after it has complied with all the procedures and requirements,” she stressed.
Last week, Bárcena announced the Royal Caribbean Perfect Day project at the port of Mahahual would not be approved. The port project consisted of three functionally connected projects, a water park, beach club, and the reconstruction of the Costa Maya cruise ship dock.
According to Bárcena, Royal Caribbean intended to spend $208 million on a waterpark, $67 million on the dock expansion and reconstruction and another $40 million on a Perfect Day beach club.
She says the company has since withdrawn its permit requests for the Perfect Day Mexico project at Mahahual.
