Riviera Maya Hoteliers Request Relocation of Mayan Train Lines

RIVIERA MAYA – The President of the Hotel Association of Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres, Roberto Cintrón Gómez, said that they hope that the works of the Mayan Train are not placed where they cause effects on tourism, specifically “that they are done by the power lines and not by the road”.

The Cancun International Airport will be the main visitor distribution point for the Mayan Train. There will also be a station in Puerto Morelos.

Each of the 22 stations of the Mayan Train will have one or two hotels. Over the next year, the National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism (FONATUR) plans to have six of them completed: El Triunfo and Tenosique, whose construction began in August and Palenque, Nuevo Xcan, Valladolid and Maxcanú, which will each begin constructions before the end of 2021.

In the smaller communities, such as El Triunfo, the stations will have hotels with 40 rooms. Locations with greater tourist importance, such as Cancun, will offer two hotels with 200 rooms each. At most stations, the cost per room may range from 700 to 1,200 pesos. Cancun and Mérida will command higher prices due to the quantity and quality of additional services offered, and also to avoid causing unfair local competition.

The idea is to have a centralized maintenance and infrastructure system to manage the hotels together as a group. The General Director of FONATUR, Rogelio Jiménez Pons, explained that, for example, they will seek to have all the same concept of bathrooms so that they can homogenize the construction and maintenance.

FONATUR: The best way to generate development is with the construction of more hotels.

“Our best offering is the 120,000 or 130,000 rooms that we have in the Riviera Maya, and the further away, the better,” said Jiménez Pons

Although they have not defined what the prices will be for the Mayan Train, the federal official estimated that “Purely tourist (trips) will have different rates. There will be a luxury trip, which can cost up to $2,000 dollars for the complete trip. The rest is for all the other people in the community and must have very accessible costs. There are only two levels of quality: the good and the best ,” he pointed out.

The Mayan Train, according to Luces del Siglo, will not only have hotels at the foot of each of its 22 stations. In the archaeological zones they will offer the option of “glamping” (a combination of glamour and camping) for those who want to stay in tents but with luxury services.

Jiménez Pons announced that this type of concept will begin at the Palenque station.

“There we have a plot of land where there is an archaeological zone and on one side we are going to offer “glamping” with 40 luxury tent-type rooms. For the youngsters there will be affordable options in the “hostel” section, also for 40 people. In total, Palenque (the station) will offer accommodations be for 80 people ”

Source: Reportatur