Mexican Caribbean Starts to Gradually Reopen to Tourists
by Jessica Montevago
The Mexican Caribbean region currently has about 45% of inventory reopened. Photo: Shutterstock.com
The Mexican Caribbean has begun gradual reopening to tourists on June 8, and is on track to have 75% of hotel rooms to be reopened by July 1.
The region currently has about 45% of inventory reopened, according to a Quintana Roo Tourism Board virtual conference last week.
The Quintana Roo Tourism Board handles the marketing for 12 destinations under the umbrella of the Mexican Caribbean and the Grand Costa Maya, including Cancun, Riviera Maya, Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Isla Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, and Costa Mujeres.
The region is using a “traffic light system,” said Dario Flota, Director of the Quintana Roo Tourism Board, featuring four stages: Red, Orange, Yellow, and Green.
Quintana Roo is mostly in Orange phase, which means hotels, restaurants, amusement parks, transportation, and golf courses operate at 30% capacity. Beaches, nightlife and casinos, and conventions remain closed.
According to Flota, “these colors are reviewed every week,” and the region will transition to the Yellow phase in one to two weeks, increasing capacity to 60%. Once the final Green phase is approved, sectors can once again operate at 100%.
Air connectivity is beginning to recover. Southwest plans to relaunch flights to Cancun and San Jose del Cabo/Los Cabos July 1. United and American have already resumed daily flights to Mexico and Delta will restart daily flights from Atlanta to Cancun later this month. Canadian airlines scheduled to return in July, Flota said.
The Cancun and Cozumel International Airports have both imposed increased sanitization, instillation of protective screens, social distancing at all security checkpoints and gates, and thermal cameras for passengers. A travel risk factor questionnaire will be given to all arrivals and departures.
Cruise lines will also be steadily returning to the region, which welcomed over 7 million cruise passengers in 2019. Flota said since high-season for cruising is in the winter, from October to mid-April, when ports closed the season was thankfully already over.
Holland American plans to start visiting ports July 1, followed by Disney Cruise Line on July 28 and MSC on July 31. Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and NCL have all planned for an Aug. 1 return, and Viking and Carnival are slated for Sept. 1.
Quintana Roo has seen a total of 2,329 COVID-19 cases. To facilitate confidence in travelers, the region has launched Clean & Safe Check Certification program, which “covers all links on the chain for tourists,” Flota said, not only including hotels and resorts but also transportation, attractions, tour operators, and other tourism sectors.
