International and domestic political problems could be causing the lack of foreign tourists in the ports of eastern Yucatan, say service providers and tourism agencies in Río Lagartos.
In the middle of the holiday season, the presence of visitors barely reaches 50%, which affects the lodging centers, restaurants, and even the tourist inn of Las Coloradas.
In Río Lagartos, private tourist agencies indicate that they have one or two services per day for national and European visitors, whereas in previous years, they could not cope.
Restaurants with agreements with travel agencies in Quintana Roo have not had a high demand for tourist buses or vans that reserve their tours and food in advance.
According to the Río Lagartos tour guides, the problems between the United States and Mexico due to the upcoming change of government are causing several investors to withdraw their investment from Mexico until they wait for new negotiations.
Other tour guides say that states in Mexico with restricted access to tourism due to insecurity issues cause tourists to think that the same situation exists in Yucatan and prefer not to risk it.
The truth is that the tourist influx is low. An agency from Río Lagartos that provided its services to a tour said that it only had three services of approximately 1,800 pesos for each one, income that they have to divide with the boat staff and the permits to federal agencies that take care of the environment and fuel.
They expect tourism demand to improve in December when the dust settles after the government changes.
Service providers recalled that even in 2023, lines of tourist buses arrived at the Las Coloradas Parador when there were moments of tension between the employees of the tourist park. They regretted that today, even with a better environment among service providers, there are no tourists to compete for. Most of the tourism they receive now is local, they say.
TYT Newsroom
