Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Tourist figures to the state of Quintana Roo remain well below the expected average with a notable hit to protected natural areas. State officials say tourists numbers to two of the most popular Protected Natural Areas in the Mexican Caribbean have recorded a 40 percent drop.
Arturo González González, the Director of the Costa Occidental National Park, reported that the decline in numbers during the summer season was more than anticipated.
According to González, the summer vacation months are a time when a rebound in tourist numbers is usually recorded, however, this year, that did not happen.
“Visitor numbers were not as high as expected in the tourism sector due to circumstances beyond our control. We were at about 50% of our usual visitor numbers,” he said.
“Adding to this port closures due to bad weather and the overall situation in the tourism industry, there were definitely fewer visitors,” González confirmed.
According to data from the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp), in a normal year, the Costa Occidental National Park receives around one million visitors with seasonal peaks during Easter, summer and December. but the projection for 2026 was different due to bad weather and rough seas, which prevented vessels from operating in addition to the global context of a slowdown in tourism.
A couple takes a selfie on Isla Mujeres September 17, 2026.
The Director acknowledged that the downward trend has been noticed since the start of the year, and that numbers did not reverse over the summer, confirming a slowdown cycle for the country’s main sun and sand destinations.
He said the decrease in tourism is directly impacting two fronts: the collection of access fees, which is a source of funding for conservation actions, and the chain of nautical services, cooperatives and guides that operate in both of the protected natural areas.
He said if the current trend continues, the year would end with 600,000 visitors, 400,000 tourists below average.
