Regulating Vacation Rentals Amid Tulum’s Tourism Surge

TULUM, Mexico – With the anticipated tourist boom on the horizon in Tulum due to the inauguration of the new airport, David Ortiz Mena, the president of the Hotel Association, has stressed the urgent need to regulate vacation rentals. He highlights the presence of over 10,000 units from a single company, surpassing the capacity of the hotel infrastructure. Ensuring the safety of visitors is paramount.

While acknowledging that the hotel infrastructure has been expanding, it’s important to note that these establishments rarely exceed 11 rooms. In contrast, a new all-inclusive hotel boasting over 300 rooms is set to open its doors later this year. However, this growth is not occurring at the same pace.

“From a hotel perspective, we are indeed growing, but it’s essential to pay attention. We are not growing at the same rate as the vacation rental records suggest. In Tulum, we’ve identified over 10,000 units from a single company, whereas the count for hotel rooms is around 11,000. It’s crucial to differentiate between hotel rooms, which are individual units, and vacation rentals, which often encompass multiple rooms,” Ortiz Mena emphasized.

A 7% Increase in Road Travel During This Vacation Period He mentioned that the ninth municipality, driven by vacation rentals, is also grappling with very specific issues. One of them is the shortage of housing for the working class. In addition to its 46,000 residents, more than 7,500 families are residing in irregular conditions. The deficit of available labor has increased by up to 24%, primarily due to the scarcity of housing.

The hotel industry leader also celebrated the announcement of several airlines commencing operations at the new airport in December. Undoubtedly, this move will lead to a significant tourism boost for the municipality, both in terms of domestic and international visitors.

“This will contribute to the destination’s growth. However, we must remember that Tulum typically experiences faster growth than we have been able to sustain. Surely, this will aid us, as it begins to alter the visitor profile of the destination,” he affirmed.