Riviera Maya, Q.R. — The request to purchase four ferry route operating companies in Quintana Roo has been denied. The Federal Economic Competition Commission (Cofece) denied Grupo Xcaret the request which was made earlier this year.
Cofece (Comisión Federal de Competencia Económica) says the request was denied o prevent the creation of ferry monopolies and duopolies in Quintana Roo. “The merger would have reduced the number of ferry companies in the region, reducing competition on price and quality of service,” the federal agency reported in an official statement.
Ferries are the main means of transportation for people to get between their homes and work in tourist areas, they added.
The decision was made August 29 by Cofece who said the request was “denied to Grupo Xcaret for the purchase of four ferry route operating companies in Quintana Roo because it would reduce the number of service providers, causing users to have fewer options to choose from, and companies to have fewer incentives to compete on price and quality.”
The operations, rejected by Cofece, consisted of the purchase of companies that operated routes between Puerto Juárez and Isla Mujeres, between the Hotel Zone and Isla Mujeres and between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen.
Cofece warned that on the Zona Hotelera – Isla Mujeres route, the operation would have caused Grupo Xcaret to become a monopoly which would allow it to raise prices or reduce the quality of its services without consumers having any other alternative.
On the Cozumel – Playa del Carmen route, the operation would have resulted in a duopoly structure, which would have reduced competition and resulted in higher prices, fewer options and fewer trips.
Ferry services are used primarily by local residents to travel to and from work and secondarily by tourists. In 2023 alone, nearly two million people used ferries to travel to Cozumel and more than half a million passengers traveled by ferry to the Cancun Hotel Zone.
As part of the new phase of economic competition policy, Cofece reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that competition brings tangible benefits to the population , using its tools to the maximum to avoid the creation of market structures that are harmful.
