The federal government has published a decree in the Official Gazette granting free access to Parque del Jaguar, the natural and cultural reserve that anchors Tulum's coastline and tourism economy.
Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa confirmed the publication and presented it as the first concrete step of Plan Tulum Renace, a package of measures unveiled during President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo's recent visit to Quintana Roo. For residents, artisans, hoteliers, and the vendors and guides who work near the site, the change removes a cost barrier that had drawn complaints since the park opened.
The timing carries weight. Access to the beaches and coastal views inside the park had been folded into a paid entry model that many in Tulum said priced out locals and complicated the daily work of the tourism trade. Publishing the decree in the Official Gazette does more than restate an announcement. It puts the terms in writing and gives them legal force, which is what separates a promise from a rule.
Free access to Parque del Jaguar becomes official
According to Lezama, the measure answers a direct request from the community. She said residents, artisans, hoteliers, and service providers raised the issue with the president in person during her visit, and that the free entry was announced there as part of Plan Tulum Renace.
Speaking in Spanish, the governor described the park as free for everyone and thanked Sheinbaum for what she called a decision to listen to Quintana Roo on the ground, crediting the president with attending personally to the people of Tulum who had asked for relief. She closed with the phrase that has become a refrain of her administration, saying that honesty produces results.
In practical terms, the decree covers the protected area that surrounds the ruins, including the stretches of beach and the coastal paths that visitors reach through the park. That is the access residents had fought over, and it is the part now free at the gate.
New fees for the Tulum archaeological zone
The decree separates two things that visitors often treat as one. Parque del Jaguar, the protected area, is now free to enter. The Tulum archaeological zone itself, managed by the National Institute of Anthropology and History, keeps a separate ticket, but at a lower price.
Under the new schedule, Mexican visitors pay 80 pesos to enter the archaeological zone, and admission stays free on Sundays, in line with INAH policy for the sites it administers. Foreign visitors pay 265 pesos. Officials have described both figures as significant reductions from the fees charged under the previous model, and the 80-peso national ticket returns the price to levels last seen around 2018 and 2019.
An optional electric transport service inside the park carries a separate charge of 20 pesos for those who prefer not to walk the distance to the coast.
Why residents and businesses pushed for the change
The reversal follows a stretch of discontent over how the park was run. When Parque del Jaguar was created, entry fees and access rules were restructured in ways that residents, vendors, and hotel operators said cut into their livelihoods and discouraged both local and domestic visitors.
Lezama's account places that frustration at the center of the decision. By her telling, the community did not rely on official channels alone. They made the case directly to the president during her visit, and the answer came as a formal commitment rather than a pledge to study the matter.
The stakes are concrete for a town whose economy runs almost entirely on visitors. Free access lowers the cost of a beach day for families from Tulum and nearby communities, and it eases the work of guides, artisans, and small operators who depend on steady foot traffic near the ruins.
Plan Tulum Renace and what comes next
The free-entry decree is one piece of a wider plan. Federal and state officials have outlined Plan Tulum Renace as a set of coordinated measures that also includes a new public transport system for the town, an electric mobility service inside the park, a permanent National Guard presence for tourist security, professional certification for tourism workers, ecological parking at the south entrance, and defined public access points along the coast.
Among the most tangible commitments for everyday visitors are the designated public beach access points, meant to guarantee that residents and tourists can reach the shoreline without passing through private property or paid gates.
Some elements sit on the calendar rather than in force. Night visits to the archaeological zone, paired with an artisan corridor, are expected to return later in the year. Promotional campaigns and improvements to airport and downtown connectivity have been announced without a firm timeline.
Lezama said the state government will continue working with the federal government on projects meant to strengthen Quintana Roo and improve daily life for its residents. What remains to be seen is how quickly the rest of the plan moves from announcement to practice, and whether the fee structure published this week holds as the next high travel season approaches.
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