Environmental groups have urged Mexican authorities to deny permits for Royal Caribbean’s Royal Beach Club (Cozumel) and Perfect Day (Mahahual), warning that both projects follow a mass-tourism model with severe ecological and social risks. The company filed Environmental Impact Statements between December and January; in Mahahual, plans would bring more than 21,000 tourists per day to a town of under 3,000. A Quintana Roo court granted a provisional suspension related to land-use changes covering over 264 acres. The coalition calls for a strict, transparent review with meaningful local participation and strict application of the precautionary principle.
Environmental Groups Demand Denial of Royal Caribbean Megaprojects on Mexico’s Caribbean Coast
Royal Caribbean wants to construct two clubs in Mexico, which will could emulate this one that opened in December on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean
Environmental organizations have urged Mexico’s federal authorities to reject environmental permits for two large tourism developments promoted by Royal Caribbean on the Mexican Caribbean coast. The proposals — Royal Beach Club (Cozumel) and Perfect Day (Mahahual) — are currently under review by the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources after the company submitted Environmental Impact Statements between December and January.
Key Concerns
The coalition says both projects follow a mass-tourism model that concentrates very large numbers of visitors into short time windows, creating acute environmental stress. In Mahahual — a coastal town of fewer than 3,000 residents — Royal Caribbean’s plan would bring in more than 21,000 tourists per day, an influx the groups warn would overwhelm local infrastructure and fragile coastal ecosystems.
- The groups argue Perfect Day threatens Mahahual’s mangroves, essential for coastal protection and ecological balance.
- Potential impacts include harm to the Mexican Caribbean reef, disruption of sea turtle nesting beaches and risks to terrestrial species, including jaguar habitat.
- Advocates also warn of measures that could restrict public access to beaches and effectively privatize stretches of coastline.
Legal And Procedural Issues
Environmental organizations say it is "highly concerning" that Royal Caribbean has promoted the projects as if environmental approvals were already granted, while administrative review processes remain incomplete. In a related legal development, a District Court in Quintana Roo granted a provisional suspension in a lawsuit brought by Defendiendo el Derecho a un Medio Ambiente Sano A.C., challenging municipal and state approvals for land-use changes covering more than 264 acres in Mahahual to accommodate the Perfect Day project.
Broader Context And Calls To Action
The coalition cites experience from northern Quintana Roo — including Cancun — where intensive tourism has, they say, led to irreversible environmental damage, de facto coastal privatization and concentrated economic benefits for a few actors, while local communities face the social and ecological costs. They emphasize that these developments cannot be assessed in isolation, given cumulative pressures on the Yucatán Peninsula from rapid urban growth, major infrastructure projects and climate change.
The groups — including Grupo Gema del Mayab, Selvame MX, Territorios Diversos para la Vida, the Mexican Civil Council for Sustainable Forestry, the Citizen Collective of Cozumel Island, the Salvemos Mahahual Collective, Alianza para la Defensa Ambiental A.C., Defendiendo el Derecho a un Medio Ambiente Sano A.C., Futuros Indígenas and Greenpeace México A.C. — have asked the Secretariat to ensure a strict, transparent environmental review with meaningful community participation and rigorous application of Mexico’s precautionary principle. "The Maya Forest is not an amusement park," the coalition said, insisting the region be prioritized for environmental and cultural conservation.
Help us improve.
