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State tourism authorities working to reverse disappointing summer figures

Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Efforts will be increased to promote state tourism after a disappointing summer. Authorities say the hotel industry around the state will increase promotional efforts in hopes of a better winter.

Jesús Almaguer, President of the Hotel Association of Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres, said they are currently reviewing winter 2024-2025 hotel reservation figures.

The review was called after a slow summer tourist season left many hotels with a lower-than-expected occupany rate. Many hotels reported around 60 perent occupancy rates, a figure they hope to increase for the upcoming winter travel season.

While some state authorities blamed the low travel figures on cancelations due to Tulum protests, others say it is the ongoing problems with power outages and Maya Train work, which has created months of congested traffic in some areas.

Raúl Andrade Angulo, President of the Hotel Association of Central and Southern Quintana Roo, said the 2024 summer travel season saw a high number of cancellations due to Maya Train work and Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) power outages.

Raúl Andrade Angulo

He said with an average occupancy rate of 60 percent, the organized hotel industry in the southern area of Quintana Roo was barely able to survive the summer holidays due to the increase in operating expenses and decreased occupancy rates.

He reported that unfortunately, traffic jams caused by the Maya Train industrial work vehicles “did affect us. We received many cancellations because the news spread through the networks that it was very complicated to travel between Chetumal and Bacalar.

“To the above, we must add the problem with the CFE power outages, which have been a constant.”

Congested highway traffic in the south affected tourism in Bacalar and Chetumal. Photo: June 2024.

He explained “in general terms, we were able to cope with it although each destination must be analyzed according to its peculiarities since, for example, in the case of Felipe Carrillo Puerto and Chetumal, since work on the Maya Train began we have had hotels in both low and medium occupancy rate ranges which have been occupied by workers and executives on a seasonal basis.

“Once the project is complete, those occupancy rates will “disappear”, he said.

However, State Tourism Secretariat, Bernardo Cueto Riestra denied that there was a “collapse” in the arrival of visitors. According to Riestra, the low number of tourists, which resulted in low hotel occupancy rates, was not due to a collapse in tourism but to the accelerated growth of hotel infrastructure, especially in the increase in rooms and Airbnb units.

Hotel occupancy rates have hovered around 60 percent this summer. Photo: Riviera Maya News

Riestra says the summer vacation season registered a general occupancy rate of approximately 70 percent. “If we don’t count the hotel rooms and Airbnb units newly created this year, the percentage would have exceeded 90 percent,” he said.

Riestra explained that the state has 133,000 hotel rooms that need to be filled, when in past seasons there was less than 110,000. He explained that not only are more tourists coming to Quintana Roo, but they are also spending almost 20 percent more.

He says to measure Quintana Roo’s success in terms of tourism, Airbnb units must also be considered since they too receive millions of tourists.

According to a recent report by STARC (Sustainable Tourism Advanced Research Center) in Cancun, the city recorded a 13.6 percent drop in international traffic during August.

However, Cancun was not Mexico’s only tourist hot spot to record a decline in international travel. According to STARC, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta, both major attractors of international tourism, also saw a decrease in travelers.

Flights into the state have also recorded a decrease in figures.

According to STARC, only in the first quarter of this year did international passenger traffic report growth at the Cancun International Airport. By April, it showed a slight decline and from there, the subsequent months reflected a loss of 13.6 percent, resulting in a disappointing summer season.

For Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos, March was the last month they reported growth in international tourism.

While tourism figures remain in the positive due to a 4.7 boost in the first quarter, the summer drop will change the perspective in the second half of the year. In Quintana Roo alone, at least 100 fewer flights are being seen compared to the same period last year. This, despite the new air terminal in full operation in Tulum.

Occupancy indicators are pointing to political decisions in Mexico effecting the Colombia and Brazil markets, the latter due to the lack of electronic visas, which has resulted in a significant decline in travelers.

Riestra admitted the decline in flights but stressed that it is only a temporary adjustment since the planes were returned to their respective headquarters for scheduled maintenance, although they hope that they will be reactivated soon.

Several restaurants in Isla Mujeres have shut completely for a month-long vacation during the ulta low tourist season.
Photos: September 14, 2024.

He also mentioned that they have a series of international events scheduled to bring in travelers during the low season. “In Cancun, in the following days we have scheduled the arrival of 5,000 visitors for an international event, while for Tulum and Playa del Carmen, similar numbers.

“There are many and varied events and conventions that will help maintain economic activity in the state and thus avoid the so-called solidarity layoffs that affect workers in this sector every year,” he said.

Rebeca Bravo, the Director of Promotion of the Asociación de Hoteles de Cancún, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres, says they are working to promote more than 30 events that will reinforce the Fall season.

Events are being organized to draw tourism during the low season. Photo: CGC 2024.

The events include promotional caravans and meetings with travel agents, tour operators and partners in cities such as Guadalajara, Monterrey, Mexico City, Veracruz, Puebla and others, as well as in cities in the United States.

The bet is on an immediate reaction to generate tourist flow this Fall, where she said, promotions are not sacrificing the price of the room, but providing additional bonuses to encourage tourist arrival.