Sargassum Crisis Escalates in Cancún: Hotel Owners in Panic

Hotel owners in Mexico's leading tourist destination, Mexico City, are grappling with the issue of sargassum on their beaches.

The sargassum season in the Mexican Caribbean has started with a bang, and many hoteliers and tourism service providers are feeling unprepared. This seaweed has primarily affected the central and southern parts of Quintana Roo, with some isolated instances in the northern region, where the main tourist destinations are located. With the summer vacation season just weeks away, the problem is escalating. Many in the tourism industry feel that the government's efforts have been insufficient and the cost of removing the seaweed is increasing.

Since sargassum was declared an "environmental contingency" nine years ago, the strategies to combat this issue have been underwhelming. This year, due to recent heatwaves and the effects of climate change, such as rising ocean temperatures, there are predictions of not only more severe weather events but also larger amounts of sargassum along the entire coast of the Mexican Caribbean. Forecasts suggest that the most significant influx will occur by mid-June, with the presence of sargassum continuing until September, when it is expected to decrease.

During the early years of the contingency, private lands along the Cancun-Playa del Carmen federal highway used to accommodate the sargassum removed from the beaches charged up to USD 3,000 for each truckload. Dump trucks were a common sight throughout the day. Various organizations, such as the Sargassum Monitoring Network and the Academic Unit of Reef Systems at the Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), estimate that the cost of sargassum removal exceeds 18 million pesos a year per square meter, covering containment nets at sea, sargassum ships, personnel, manual collection equipment, and transportation.

Over these nine years, entrepreneurs have expressed major concerns about the management approach in finding solutions. While some municipalities, like Tulum and Solidaridad, have been more transparent with their citizens by allowing access to areas where sargassum is concentrated, others have restricted access and rarely discuss alternative solutions to process the large amounts that wash ashore. In 2023, the Quintana Roo government introduced the Integral Strategy for the Management and Use of Sargassum (EIMAS), which considers human health and well-being, research and monitoring, knowledge management, sargassum utilization, comprehensive management, a legal framework, and financial tools.

Despite discussions about comprehensive management and holistic strategies, entrepreneurs believe that political differences between municipalities, particularly with Solidaridad, which is run by a mayor from the National Action Party (PAN), while other municipalities are run by MORENA, hinder the sharing of effective strategies.

A notable example is Playa el Recodo, where the sargassum utilization process and sand recovery managed to replenish large sections of the coast. Despite severe weather and strong waves towards the end of the year, the sand remained. Official figures from Solidaridad reveal that over 26,340 tons of sargassum were collected in 2023, and 2,910 tons of sand were recovered, used to restore six beaches.

The Oceanography Institute of the Secretary of the Navy (Semar) has warned about a bank of 8,250 tons of sargassum located in the Caribbean Sea, expected to arrive in areas such as Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Cozumel, and Xcalak within the next 24 to 48 hours. The Navy is preparing for the arrival of at least 14 tons of sargassum on Cancun's beaches, an additional 16 tons in Tulum, Playa del Carmen, and Cozumel, and between Xcalak and Mahahual, 17 tons.