Tulum's hotel sector offered to help lead the tourism recovery in a meeting with President Sheinbaum, as small coastal hotels report occupancy as low as 15 percent.
Plan Tulum Renace lowers Maya ruins entry fees, makes Parque del Jaguar free for Mexicans, opens public beaches, and adds new sargassum measures to reverse the destination's tourism slump.
The 2026 surge of sargassum in Tulum has revived research into turning the seaweed into bioasphalt, even as a local official pushes to declare an environmental contingency.
President Sheinbaum says the government may buy more collection vessels and extend marine barriers to keep sargassum off Quintana Roo beaches this season.
Free access for Mexicans, lower fees, and open beaches at Parque del Jaguar. What Sheinbaum's Tulum visit fixed, what it admitted, and who was missing from the picture.
Sesa removed Emigdio Morales Mezquita after business owners accused Tulum health inspectors of extortion and of posing as federal Cofepris agents. A councilman says the state was warned for years.
The president lands in Tulum on Thursday and will not leave Quintana Roo until Sunday. A 415-peso Jaguar Park fee, a sargassum plan, and cargo locomotives await Sheinbaum.
Reduced shifts and thinner tips have sent Riviera Maya hotel workers home to Tabasco, Chiapas, and Maya towns, the CROC says, with hotels now operating at 80 percent staffing levels.
Zofemat says it has collected more than 2,800 metric tons of sargassum in Tulum this season, and its director calls the arrivals atypical for the Quintana Roo coast.
Loading featured properties...
After 32 years behind the wheel, Sixto says he has never seen a summer this empty. The Tulum tourism slowdown has left hundreds of taxi concessions parked and storefronts up for rent.
Mayor Diego Castañón rejected rumors of privatization and defended Free Access, the deal that provides 25 free Tulum beach access points through hotels along 8.5 kilometers of coast.
The Parque del Jaguar seizure of Cinco Tulum and Las Palmas remains unexplained three weeks on, and workers in the protected area fear their businesses could be next.
A resident says the SAT billed him for a Tulum payroll salary he never received. City hall promises a meeting as audits expose ghost employees left by past administrations.
City crews will overhaul the Tulum soccer field at the Unidad Deportiva, from goals to perimeter fencing, after Mayor Castañón walked the site to shape the project.
President Sheinbaum plans a four-day Quintana Roo swing, with a mañanera from Tulum, housing deed deliveries, and a sargassum briefing in Cancún, according to a preliminary agenda.
A state official allegedly posed as federal Cofepris staff during Tulum health inspections, demanding payments from business owners who now call for a full investigation.
Tulum extortion allegations put sanitary inspectors under scrutiny, and Cofepris now says it has no municipal office in Quintana Roo, leaving the state to answer.
With Tulum's economy under strain, President Sheinbaum's visit puts public beach access and the Tulum Renace program in the spotlight. Here is what is at stake for the destination.
Tulum extortion complaints now point at the authorities themselves. Merchants, hoteliers, and tourists describe inspections, traffic stops, and monthly quotas that end in cash, transfers, or closure.
State and municipal officials met with tourism operators at a Tulum beach club to review Tulum air connectivity, international promotion, and the airline announcements shaping the summer season.
Tulum's economic development office says Centro Tulum is well advanced and could open between September and October, while a 185 million peso plaza rises in Aldea Tulum.
Tulum hotel occupancy is stuck at 41.5 percent with the summer vacation period days away, and downtown hoteliers say the reservations that usually arrive by now simply have not.
Merchants who once paid cartels now describe extortion in Tulum by police and inspectors, while a record sargassum season deepens the town's economic strain.
The Tulum tourism decline has business leaders demanding urgent fee deferrals and zero-interest credits as sargassum, high lodging costs, and security concerns keep visitors away.
Tulum extortion complaints grow as business owners and foreign tourists accuse inspectors and traffic officers of demanding payments, deepening the destination's economic slump.
Taxi fares, buses, transfers, road changes, mobility updates, and practical transport guidance for Tulum.
Weather context, travel timing, seasonal changes, and planning guidance for visitors and residents.
Guides, access updates, regulations, and practical planning around cenotes and the Tulum archaeological zone.
Coverage of public beach access, coastal restrictions, closures, and the balance between tourism and public space.
Food, dining, beach clubs, and nightlife coverage for visitors looking for practical choices, current openings, and the mood of Tulum after dark.
Reporting on permits, construction, regulation, and major development decisions shaping Tulum’s urban growth and investment climate.
Discover featured listings from our partner brand. Own a property to sell or rent? Add it to gain more visibility.
