Tulum, Q.R. — Mayor Diego Castañón says Tulum is in a recovery phase despite facing a “smear campaign”. He says the campaign seeks to undermine Tulum’s national and international reputation as a tourist destination.
At a press conference Wednesday he said important agreements were reached with the federal and state governments after the Monday meetings held in Mexico City.
“We managed to meet with the main federal government agencies including the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of the Environment, Conanp, Profepa, Fonatur and even the Ministry of National Defense,” he said regarding the recent Mexico City meetings regarding Tulum’s tourism issues.
“Tulum is a unique and wonderful destination that represents an important tourism brand nationally and internationally. Low seasons have always existed here and in all tourist destinations.
“We are working hand-in-hand with all levels of government, and although many issues are not municipal, we will continue to take our issues to the necessary authorities,” Castañón Trejo explained.
He said during those meetings, key issues were addressed including access to Jaguar Park, hotel rates, mobility, sargassum and the perception of insecurity, which, according to him, has been heightened by social media misinformation.
“Not everything that’s been said is true. We’ve had a slow season, yes, but that’s common in September and October. The important thing is that we’re already seeing occupancy rate increases,” he said reporting “80 percent is expected for November and we’ll reach 90 percent by December.”
David Ortiz Mena, President of the Mexican Caribbean Hotel Council, says hotel occupancy rates for the last months of the year are high. He reported an 80 percent occupancy rate for November and 90 percent for December.
The figures, he says, are from confirmed hotel reservations. Ortiz Mena explained that Tulum currently has an overall occupancy rate of 54 percent, however, reservations are currently registered at 80 percent for November and 90 percent for December,
He noted that while October occupancy rates have decreased by 10 percent compared to the previous year, that decrease is largely due to external factors such as economic uncertainty in the United States and the excessive sargassum season, which this year reached levels five times that of 2018.
“Currently, the average hotel occupancy is at 54 percent, although some sectors, such as all-inclusives, are exceeding 67 percent. By November, the figure is expected to exceed 80 percent and December is expected to see higher figures,” he reported.
Mayor Castañón Trejo said a meeting has been set for Thursday with Josefina Rodríguez Zamora, the Federal Secretary of Tourism, along with Governor Mara Lezama and Bernardo Cueto, the State Secretary of Tourism.
He says together they will work to reach agreements to incentivize tourism.
“While we have a lot to do, we also have many reasons to be optimistic. The high season is coming on strong. We are cleaning our beaches, improving access, lowering rates in coordination with hoteliers and adjusting taxi fares with the Mobility Institute. We will not allow misinformation to stop us,” said Castañón Trejo.
