Royal Caribbean’s ‘Perfect Day Mexico’ Rejected After Backlash
by Bruce Parkinson
A rendering of Perfect Day Mexico. Photo: Royal Caribbean
Mexican authorities have rejected Royal Caribbean’s private destination Perfect Day Mexico, which had been described as the cruise line’s “biggest, baddest, boldest destination,” offering beach clubs, pools, bars and more than 30 waterslides.
“It is not going to be approved,” Environment Minister Alicia Barcena told a press conference yesterday, following backlash from residents and environmental groups over the development’s ecological impact.
Reuters reports that the rejection of the 90 hectare (222 acre) mega-tourism project underscores growing resistance to mass development in Mexico’s pristine coastal regions. Royal Caribbean told the news agency that it regretted the decision but respected Mexico’s environmental authorities.
The company added it remains optimistic about investing in Mexico and plans to talk with stakeholders in the coming weeks about local job creation and environmental infrastructure.
Perfect Day Mexico was slated to debut in fall 2027 in Mahahual, a beach town of fewer than 3,000 that sits close to the Mesoamerican Reef, the largest reef in the Western Hemisphere.
Mexican echoed the environmental concerns during her daily morning press conference on Monday.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum supports the decision: “We must not do anything that affects that area, which has a very important ecological balance, and is particularly important for the reefs.”
As well as fish and coral, turtles form nests along the coast, which gives way to dense mangrove forests and tropical jungle that are home to jaguars.
Environmental group Greenpeace warned that the region was at a “crucial juncture,” noting that the project and its link to expanded cruise tourism could cause significant environmental consequences. A Change.org petition demanding a halt to the project has reached more than four million signatures.
The area is near the route of the Mayan Train, a government project meant to bring development to Indigenous Maya communities beyond the crowded beaches of Cancun. That project has also earned criticism from locals groups and environmentalists.
BNP Paribas Equity Research noted that Perfect Day Mexico was expected to be even bigger than Perfect Day CocoCay, the Bahamian private destination that opened in 2019 and has become one of the most popular port calls for Royal Caribbean Group ships.
Perfect Day Mexico was expected to boost cruising in the Western Caribbean in a similar way to what Perfect Day CocoCay did for the Eastern Caribbean.
