Coparmex Riviera Maya is asking the federal government to separate the Parque del Jaguar from the Tulum Archaeological Zone, arguing that the higher combined entry fee has cut visitor flow and is squeezing local merchants.
The request lands at a moment when the destination's small business community says sales tied to the ruins have visibly slipped. The chamber's position is that the integrated park model, which placed the archaeological zone inside a wider federally administered scheme, has lifted access costs to a level that has driven visitors away from one of Quintana Roo's most important attractions.
Coparmex calls for a Parque del Jaguar overhaul
The petition was made public by Carlos Marín Morales, president of Coparmex Riviera Maya, who described the situation as one of the two issues most concerning the private sector at the moment. The other, he said, is the ongoing sargassum problem affecting the region's beaches.
"We believe the Parque del Jaguar should be separated from the Tulum Archaeological Zone, because the price rose significantly and that has affected operators, artisans, and businesses in general, since the visitor flow is no longer the same," Marín Morales said.
He added that Coparmex will bring the request to the relevant federal authorities and ask them to analyze mechanisms capable of restoring tourist flow and reducing the economic damage being absorbed by businesses tied to tourism in Tulum.
How higher costs are hitting Tulum commerce
According to Marín Morales, integrating the Parque del Jaguar with the archaeological zone produced a significant increase in the cost of admission. That increase, the chamber argues, has reshaped how visitors plan their stops in Tulum in ways that reach well beyond the ruins themselves.
Artisans, tour operators, transport services, and small commercial outlets that depend on the steady arrival of visitors at the archaeological zone have all reported lower sales, according to Coparmex. The chamber has not published specific figures, but it described the trend as consistent across businesses that rely on that traffic.
The argument is not abstract. The ruins of Tulum sit at the center of a local economy long organized around the visitor flow they generate, with surrounding stalls, agencies, and family-run operations depending on every additional ticket sold at the entrance. When that flow contracts, the impact is felt within days, not seasons.
Sargassum compounds the strain
The Parque del Jaguar concern is not the only pressure the chamber flagged. The second is the sargassum problem, which continues to affect beach quality across the Mexican Caribbean and weigh on the destination's tourism performance.
Taken together, the two pressures create a difficult environment for businesses already operating on thin margins. Coparmex's position is that addressing either requires a direct conversation with federal authorities, since both the Parque del Jaguar's operating scheme and the broader sargassum response sit largely outside municipal or state control.
Where the petition goes from here
The chamber said it will formally raise the request with the relevant authorities, with the aim of opening a discussion on mechanisms that could recover visitor flow at the archaeological zone and ease the pressure on local commerce.
No timetable has been announced. The Parque del Jaguar remains under federal management, and any structural change to its access scheme, including a return to separate ticketing for the archaeological zone, would require federal involvement.
For Tulum's commercial sector, the immediate question is whether the petition produces a concrete review of the integrated model or simply opens a longer negotiation that runs through the high season without delivering relief.
Should the Parque del Jaguar be separated from the Tulum Archaeological Zone to help local businesses recover? Join the conversation and share your perspective with us on Instagram and Facebook at @thetulumtimes.