Lost in Mexico’s Tourist Maze I: Cancún to Tulum—A Resort-Dweller’s Paradise

Lucha Libre masks for sale, outside Arena México, Mexico City (Image credits to Zara Blakey) 

Mexico seems to be caught in a tug-of-war between honoring its intimate traditions and leaning into the demands of tourism. From the glitzy, purpose-built resorts of Cancún to the inland regions, deeply rooted in ancient civilizations, most tourists experience only a consumer-friendly version of the country. In this column, Zara Blakey invites readers to explore what goes on behind Mexico’s touristic scene, with a focus on gentrification, global influence on pop culture, and her own personal experiences during her year abroad. What does the ‘authentic’ Mexico look like today, and how much of it is shaped by the very tourism that insists the country remain in its ‘natural’ state?

As my three months in Mexico draw to a close, I can’t help but compare the reality of the Riviera Maya with the beachfront jungle paradise I had envisioned, prior to my arrival. What a contrast. Throughout my time in Playa del Carmen—a touristic town on Mexico’s Eastern, Caribbean coast—I have had the pleasure of conversing with many locals, whether chatting to taxistas on the way to work, or shouting down to an acquaintance, over blaring reggaeton. Whenever I ask the icebreaker question, “¿De dondé eres?” (“Where are you from?”), the most common responses are: “La Ciudad (de México)”; “Veracruz”; “Monterrey”; “Guadalajara” (crucially in Jalisco, the homeland of tequila). I quickly came to realise that the one thing all these Mexicans have in common is that none were born here, in the state of Quintana Roo.

 As it turns out, this is no coincidence. Quintana Roo was only recognised as an official Mexican state in 1974; prior to that, the area was pure jungle— “pure jungla” as described by a tipsy Mexican man dressed in a Batman costume on Halloween (why they now celebrate Halloween as well as the traditional Día de los Muertos is something I’ll touch on in a later column). Nor was it a coincidence that the tourism industry suddenly saw Mexico’s resort business boom in the 1970s… this development was all part of a mastermind plan.

The story begins in 1967, when the federal government set aside 2 million USD to be managed by a team of financial and modelling experts working for Banco de Mexico. Their assignment? ‘Infratur’: Fund for the Promotion of Tourism Infrastructure. In other words, the government wanted to build a new, shiny resort city from scratch.

To get the project approved, the team first had to convince the Mexican government that tourism was the world’s fastest-growing sector. The team gathered large amounts of data from resorts in Hawaii, the Caribbean and other parts of Mexico. They analysed tourist numbers, hotel capacity, as well as weather conditions, and then fed these statistics into a computer. Members of the team also visited each potential site to assess living conditions. Sharks in the sea? Disqualified. Ant nests? Disqualified. Eventually, the list was whittled down to 25 sites, with priority given to areas of extreme poverty.

Cancún in 2024, Zara’s view from the plane (Image credits to Zara Blakey)

In 1969 the ‘Cancún Project’ was approved. With government-funded basic infrastructure, the hotels, pools and golf courses all followed, like magpies after their treasure… Today, Cancún International Airport is Mexico’s second busiest airport and Latin America’s fourth busiest, handling over 30 million passengers per year. What was once a small fishing village and military base is now one of the Caribbean’s most visited tourist destinations.

Having been to Isla Mujeres—an island offering a panoramic view of Cancún—I can certify that the skyline is rather hideous. I mean, it’s a row of monstruous rectangular blocks. As part of my marketing internship, I’ve had the chance to step inside several these luxury resorts, and of course, the hotel premises are gorgeous: ‘surrounded by lush greenery, pristine white sands and sparkling blue waters’, as ChatGPT would say. However, the sad truth about this ‘natural’ beauty is it’s not very natural at all! The Cancún beaches with the pure, white sand, are cleaned by hotel staff every morning. In Playa del Carmen, the public beaches near the town center are nice enough, but have a permanent lingering fishy-sewage smell, and are certainly not as nice as the groomed beaches in front of the resorts. In Tulum—where the beaches are, indeed, well-kept—visitors must pay a fee of 72 pesos (only about 3 quid, but still not free!) to enter ‘the beach zone’. Oh, and can you guess what the name of this Cancún-Tulum corridor is called (hint: the name screams ‘a perfect blend of culture and luxury holiday’)?  It’s ‘The Riviera Maya’.  How authentic.

Tulum’s shoreline, cleaned of seaweed daily (Image credits to Zara Blakey) 

 The other day, I hopped into a colectivo (a type of minibus used for public transport) and an elderly man sparked up a discussion. With a look of nostalgia, he recounted his impression of Playa when he first arrived: “Hace 25 años Playa era muy bonita. Ahora… ahora es diferente…” (“25 years ago, Playa was beautiful. Nowadays… nowadays, it’s different). Just yesterday, I asked a taxi driver in Tulum if he ever went to relax on the beach in la zona hotelera (the hotel zone). He laughed and said of course not: “Pués… no sé qué hacer acá! Es para turistas.” (“I wouldn’t know what to do there! It’s for tourists.”). According to locals, there really is nothing to do in these ‘hotel zones’ apart from sunbathe, eat fancy fusion food and sip on experimental tequila concoctions. These are just two examples of countless conversations that all share the same underlying message: tourism has changed the landscape.

 Of course, you don’t need to be a tourism expert to know that change is inevitable in a growing industry, but my point is that Quintana Roo is entirely tourism dependent. Without these mega-resort cities, for all we know, the area could still be dense rainforest! The view from the roof of my apartment building is striking in this respect: towards the sea, there are built-up condos and hotels; inland, the highway slices through the grid of buildings, separating the residents from miles of sparsely populated, dense jungle.

The Mexicans working in the hospitality sector are doing their best to preserve the illusion of Mexico’s untouched tropical paradise. But the reality is that this ‘untouched’ beauty is constantly receiving a touch-up. So many people rely on the allure of Eastern Mexico’s landscape to earn a living. When I ask Mexicans why they first moved out here, the response is always the same “Por el dinero” (“For money.”). I guess the Cancún project really did achieve its goal, after all.

 And now for the good news (finally)! Don’t get me wrong—I have fallen in love with Mexico. Despite any initial impressions of touristic artificiality, I can confirm that Mexico is, overall, one of the most stunning and diverse countries I have ever visited. The place is rich in unique architecture, stunning scenery and DELICIOUS food; the fact that I’m based in Playa simply meant that it took a little digging to discover those hidden gems (which arguably made the adventure all the more rewarding!). Just across the border from Quintana Roo, lies the state of Yucatán. In contrast, this area is home to historic, colonial towns like Valladolid, young, grotto-like cenotes—subterranean blue water holes (Tarzan photo pending in my next column)—and access to nearby Mayan ruins, including the Wonder of the World, Chichén Itzá.

 There is a land of marvels discover in Mexico, and I have so much to share! It’s just a shame that most tourists come to the Riviera Maya only to lay on their beach loungers, glugging watered-down margaritas, without setting a foot beyond their hotel lobby.

The inland, rainforest view from Zara’s apartment (Image credits to Zara Blakey)