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Eleven Quintana Roo beaches carry excessive seaweed, and Tulum's sargassum levels rank among the worst, as hoteliers warn that cleanup now costs three times their electricity bill.
Since Monday, only Grupo Mundo Maya sells entry to the Tulum archaeological zone. The culture workers union calls the handover silent privatization and wants it revoked.
Clearing the sand has become one of the largest line items on the coast. Tulum sargassum costs now have hoteliers asking whether some months are worth opening at all.
After eight years of burgers, laughter, and viral videos, Bonita Tulum will close on August 3, undone by rising costs and rent that are emptying the town's beloved corners.
INAH data shows Tulum's archaeological zone lost more than 200,000 visitors in a year. Now the hotel sector is backing Plan Tulum Renace to reverse it.
Tulum's street commerce operation begins Monday in La Veleta, where inspectors will target unlicensed vendors, roadside mechanic shops and blocked roads before the effort reaches the city center.
After years as a hub for remote workers, Digital Jungle Tulum will close at the end of July. Its founders are channeling their energy into VESICA, a nearby jungle cenote sanctuary.
A farewell video from La Eufemia, one of Tulum's best-known beach taquerías, has gone viral again, reviving the fight over who is to blame for Tulum's decline.
A cultural workers' union welcomed the lower Tulum archaeological zone fees but cautioned that tourism gains could take at least a year to appear.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Summer was meant to revive tourism in Tulum. Instead, tour operators say they are operating at 10% capacity, squeezed by sargassum and Jaguar Park access fees.
When high season returns, many small hotels in Tulum drop the local customers who carried them through the quiet months. A guest columnist argues the habit has a hidden cost.
