Tulum, Q.R. — Tourist workers in Tulum say local beaches are a lot more quiet than expected for the summer holidays. Local workers say while sargassum has played a role, excessive fees and a lack of beach access is also responsible.
Boat captain Francisco Cámara who offers tours says the sargassum has impacted both the destination’s image and recreational activities at sea. He also said that a lack of beach access and reports of excessive fees stemming from the Jaguar Park project are also affecting tourism.
“We’re barely operating at 50 percent of our capacity. We expected to be at 70 percent by now and gradually increase as the season progressed, but that hasn’t been the case,” he said.
Tulum City Hall Councilor Jorge Portillo Mánica, says Tulum’s tourist areas are reporting hotel occupancy rates of between 15 to 40 percent. “There are hotels with one or two rooms occupied, something that hasn’t happened in a long time but is happening now,” he said referring to the situation as “critical”.
He touched on the topic of airline cancellations into the Tulum International Airport due to low profitability. He says the crisis in Tulum needs an emergency plan involving all levels of government, for which he intends to meet with Governor Mara Lezama and the Ministry of the Interior.
The municipality is trying to counteract the low tourism rates with music festivals, the first of which is scheduled for next month. Portillo Mánica says they are working on a second festival for the month of October.
Tulum Tourism Councilor Eleazar Mas Kinil says those that do visit have complained about high fees. He says they have received a lot of complaints regarding the fees being charged to tourists for tours.
“While the work the federal government carried out in the Jaguar Park was very good, they lacked knowledge of how tourism is managed in this area since the park was a project created in Mexico City without any knowledge of the area, and it is seriously affecting tourism in the destination,” he stated.
Among the high tour fees being charged to tourists to enter the park, there are also complaints of the long walking distances tourists are forced to make under the sun to reach the park entrance.
“Authorities failed to take into account the cost and impact it would have on tour operators who offer these daily excursions,” he said.
According to Mas Kinil, the high cost of tours to places such as the Jaguar Park has led to a 40 percent decrease in Tulum visitor numbers.
