Unveiling Cancún’s Secret Privatization: What You Need to Know

The dissolution of the National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism (Fonatur) has not only left Cancún, the primary source of the country's tourism revenue, vulnerable, but it also has led to a subtle form of privatization. This quiet and opaque process threatens the operation of services and the attraction of investments.

Fonatur's powers, including the maintenance and cleaning of Cancún's Hotel Zone, were handed over to the state government of Quintana Roo under unclear conditions. The current operation, now in the hands of the state government, is even more confusing. Over the past six months, various company names, such as Zeit Edificaciones, have surfaced as those responsible for daily operations along the 25 kilometer beach area, including treatment plants. However, it's puzzling that the company name changes every three months.

For over 50 years, Fonatur managed the first Fully Planned Center (CIP), during which Cancún established itself as a global brand and the most successful tourist destination in Latin America. The city currently boasts more than 45,000 hotel rooms and welcomes over six million tourists annually. The state's presence, through Fonatur, ensured the maintenance and image of the Hotel Zone since its inception.

The Secretary of Finance and Planning of Quintana Roo, Eugenio Segura, announced last February that a trust responsible for the operation and maintenance of the hotel zones in Cancún, Cozumel, and Mahahual would be ready in two weeks. However, no further information about this plan has been released. Segura also revealed that from 2025, the state government will solely manage and allocate funds for the maintenance of the beach area.

Despite the uncertainty among the workforce due to unmet labor conditions and precarious work environments, companies like Zeit Edificaciones are known to be in charge of daily operations in the hotel zone. The president of the Tourism and International Affairs Commission of the State Congress confirmed that they have no updates about Fonatur or the trust and the exercise of state functions.

During the times of the PRI and later in the PRI-PVEM society, public services in the municipality of Benito Juárez (Cancún) were privatized. Currently, in this city of over a million inhabitants, urban transport services, drinking water, garbage collection and disposal, and lighting are all privatized.