Fideicomiso and Mexicana de Aviación add eight summer flights to boost Tulum tourism recovery

Tulum's tourism trust has signed a collaboration agreement with Mexicana de Aviación to add eight summer flights into the local airport, the centerpiece of a Tulum tourism recovery effort.

The deal, announced by Fideicomiso de Promoción Turística y Desarrollo Económico de Tulum president Mario Cruz Rodríguez, arrives as the municipality contends with job losses, business closures, and falling hotel occupancy. For the workers and small operators who depend on visitor spending, the coming summer season now carries added weight.

Cruz Rodríguez said the plan is the result of two months of work with hotels, restaurants, tour operators, recreational parks, tour guides, and travel agencies, coordinated to answer the economic crisis facing the destination.

What the Mexicana de Aviación agreement includes

Under the agreement, Mexicana de Aviación will offer preferential fares into Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport, Tulum's air gateway. Those fares will be bundled with discounts from hotels, restaurants, car rentals, parks, and recreational activities to build vacation packages aimed at domestic travelers.

According to Cruz Rodríguez, more than 75 companies from the local tourism sector have signed on to support the packages, which will be sold by agencies and tour operators across the country. The trust is framing the offer as a competitive, lower-cost product for the national market rather than the international clientele Tulum has long relied on.

An airport built for international traffic now short on routes

Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport opened in December 2023 as a piece of the region's expansion plans, but it has since lost routes and struggled to fill seats as international demand cooled. Sargassum, negative coverage, and softer arrivals have added pressure on hotels and businesses that scaled up for a boom that has yet to hold. Domestic travelers, cheaper to reach and quicker to book, are the audience the new packages target.

Eight summer flights with set July and August dates

Cruz Rodríguez said Mexicana de Aviación director general Leobardo Ávila Bojórquez confirmed the eight additional flights personally. The frequencies are scheduled for July 18, 22, 23, and 25, and for August 1, 8, 15, and 19.

He attributed the airline's decision to the strength of the project and to the response from the tourism sector. Beyond the added connectivity, the trust said Mexicana de Aviación will run national digital promotion and advertising campaigns to position Tulum as one of the country's leading vacation destinations.

A Tulum tourism recovery plan built on discounted packages

The strategy leans on price. By combining preferential airfares with sector-wide discounts, the trust wants to make a Tulum vacation reachable for families in cities that have not traditionally filled its hotels. The Tulum tourism recovery pitch depends on turning that lower cost into measurable summer bookings.

Cruz Rodríguez acknowledged the destination is going through a difficult stretch. He argued that unity across the sector, not a single public program, is what can change the outlook. "Today it is not enough to recognize the problems. It is time to act in unity to reactivate Tulum's economy," he said.

Viva and Volaris next as the trust courts domestic markets

Cruz Rodríguez said the same collaboration model will be presented to Viva and Volaris, with the goal of widening the flight offer and drawing visitors from Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, and Querétaro, among other cities. Neither airline has confirmed those talks.

He also pointed to a recent visit by 47 agencies affiliated with the national branch of the Asociación Mexicana de Agencias de Viajes, whose representatives toured Tulum to see its offering firsthand and weigh joining the commercial push. The trust expects that interest to translate into higher occupancy and stronger economic activity over the summer break.

Whether the eight flights and the discount packages move those numbers will not be clear until the July and August dates arrive. For now, the plan sets a concrete test of whether cheaper access and a domestic sales pitch can steady an economy that has leaned heavily on foreign visitors.

Do you think cheaper flights and discounted packages can bring domestic travelers to Tulum this summer? Join the conversation and share your perspective with us on Instagram and Facebook at @thetulumtimes.