Nearly half of Tulum's accommodation supply now operates through vacation rental platforms, and the hotels that built the destination's infrastructure say they are competing on an uneven field. The figure, 43 percent of total lodging capacity, has pushed the tourism sector's leadership to formally demand a regulatory framework that applies the same fiscal and administrative obligations to every player in the market.
The call comes at a difficult moment. International visitor numbers have declined, and local business leaders are scrambling to offset that drop before it compounds into a structural problem for the local economy.
One market, two sets of rules
Mario Cruz Rodríguez, president of the Tulum Tourism Promotion and Economic Development Trust, laid out the sector's central grievance plainly: platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo have allowed a large share of the accommodation market to grow without the compliance requirements that apply to registered hotels.
Cruz Rodríguez acknowledged the contribution of the Hospedaje tax, a lodging levy that funds tourism promotion across the Mexican Caribbean, but argued that its collection is uneven as long as a substantial portion of the accommodation supply falls outside the system. "The entire supply needs to operate under homogeneous criteria," he said.
The hotel sector's main proposal is a regulatory framework that would require all accommodation providers, whether a 200-room resort or a privately listed villa, to meet comparable standards on tax registration, guest safety documentation, and administrative reporting. No specific timeline or legislative vehicle for that framework was announced.
Falling international arrivals change the math
The regulatory push arrives against a backdrop that gives it additional urgency. Cruz Rodríguez acknowledged that Tulum is navigating a complicated period driven by a drop in international visitors, a trend that has forced both businesses and municipal authorities to reconsider how the destination is positioned and who it is being marketed to.
The response, at least in the short term, is a pivot toward domestic and regional travelers. A comprehensive promotion strategy has been developed in collaboration with travel agencies, tour operators, airlines, and specialized tourism bodies. The plan focuses on competitive travel packages, improved air connectivity, and more accessible price points aimed at Mexican travelers who would not typically budget for Tulum's historically premium offering.
Airline talks and the domestic connectivity gap
Two carriers are already in early conversations. Representatives from Viva Aerobús and Mexicana have met with the Trust and expressed interest in participating in initiatives designed to increase arrivals at Tulum's Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport, which opened in December 2023 and has struggled to reach the passenger volumes its construction was meant to support.
Improving frequency and reducing fares on domestic routes is central to the strategy. Tulum's airport currently has limited low-cost options compared to Cancún's terminal, which continues to capture the bulk of regional air traffic. Closing that gap would be a material shift for local operators who depend on arrival numbers to sustain occupancy.
A rebalancing act with no guaranteed outcome
Cruz Rodríguez framed the current moment as an opportunity rather than a crisis, arguing that pressure from falling international arrivals could force a healthier, more balanced product offering that serves a broader range of travelers rather than a narrow luxury segment.
Whether that rebalancing produces results depends on variables still outside the sector's direct control: airline decisions on route economics, the pace of any new regulatory action by state or federal authorities, and whether domestic travelers respond to Tulum's repositioning as an accessible destination after years of premium branding that priced many of them out.
The Trust has not announced a target for domestic visitor numbers or a timeline for regulatory proposals to reach formal review. What is clear is that the conversation about who gets to operate in Tulum's lodging market, and under what rules, is no longer at the margins of the sector's agenda.
Should vacation rentals in Tulum be held to the same standards as hotels, or does a separate framework make more sense for the market? Join the conversation and share your perspective with us on Instagram and Facebook at @thetulumtimes.