Holbox, Q.R. — Island residents and businessmen are asking authorities for a strong hand regarding the extreme noise on the island. With the arrival of the holiday season, the party noise has increased, which is affecting those who are looking for a place to relax.
Island businessman Astarot Kapellmann says the noise also affects the environment since the area is a Protected Natural Zone. He says it is necessary for authorities to regulate the situation since it also affects guests who come to the island for quiet.
He said the chaos is mostly due to live bands, however, people consuming alcoholic beverages on public roads is also a problem as is the sale of alcohol 24-hours-a-day.
For these reasons, he says, something must be done to return tranquility to the island. Neighbors have also voiced their complaints about the excessive tourist noise on the island, accusing nightclubs of operating at full volume until dawn.
The island, whose main segment are tourists looking to break away from the crowds and relax, has become very chaotic, says Kapellmann. “The noise, to begin with, is restricted because we are in a protected area. But this is becoming more and more common throughout the island, not just in one area,” he pointed out.
He also says that live bands have been heard playing as late as 4:30 a.m., calling the current noise crisis “the tip of the iceberg”.
“We also talk about the invaded public thoroughfare, the consumption of alcohol in the streets, the violence that these environments generate,” he says.
The Office of the Attorney General of the State and the Municipal Public Security Secretariat “throw the ball” at each other he explained, since both say that they do not have the power to intervene despite the fact that there are restricted hours for the sale of alcohol across the state.
In Holbox, some shops sell 24-hours-a-day. “Here in Holbox there has already been violence, disappearances. There has always been drug sales, alcohol sales, but there have never been so many outsiders who influenced the life decisions of Holbox citizens,” he said.
“Dozens of tourists have demonstrated on social networks about the problem of falling asleep or even resting after they chose to spend their dream vacation in the destination that has been identified and cataloged for its peace and contact with nature,” he emphasized.
“In the same way, the community is also being affected with resident complaints of this same illness that has grown every year like cancer.”