Revolutionary Tourism Project Unveiled in Quintana Roo.

Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has announced plans for a significant new project in Quintana Roo. The Cancún-Isla Blanca-Costa Mujeres corridor, a 25-kilometer stretch, will receive an investment of around 3 billion pesos. The project aims to improve mobility for those working in the tourism industry. However, the ecological environment, including the Chamochuch lagoon system, a protected area since 1999, presents a considerable challenge.

Cancún was initially designed as a "garden city," a self-contained community where residents could find everything they needed. However, this model has proven to be dysfunctional over time. The issue is not that the architects responsible for the design were incompetent, but rather that they could not predict the enormous success of Cancún. Today, it is a globally recognized brand with over 40,000 hotel rooms and an international airport that welcomes more than 30 million passengers.

Despite its success, Cancún has also seen a proliferation of unauthorized settlements, an increase in mini-houses, a lack of garbage disposal areas, and a growing marginalized population. Infrastructure struggles to keep pace with these issues. According to 2024 Coneval figures, 37 percent of Cancún's population lives in poverty, and 6 percent in destitution. Ecological damage has also been severe, with the disappearance of various species and mangrove areas due to real estate development.

The recent announcement by President Sheinbaum about the new development in the Costa Mujeres area, the space between Cancún and the Continental Zone of Isla Mujeres, known as Isla Blanca, raises questions about the future of this corridor. Governor Mara Lezama has been managing this project, as she recently reported on her social media.

Costa Mujeres has been quietly establishing itself as an exclusive area, even boasting a hotel guild that aims to differentiate its promotion and style. Much of the Cancún market has been associated with lower consumption tourism, whereas places like Tulum have managed to attract a high-income segment. This new hotel zone, already being referred to as "The new Cancún," aims to do the same.

Like Cancún, the area boasts beautiful beaches with turquoise waters and white sands, and a lagoon system, Chacmochuch. This lagoon was declared a Natural Protected Area during the government of Joaquín Hendricks Díaz, and is home to a variety of protected species, including red mangrove, white mangrove, buttonwood, striped iguana, river crocodile, sparrowhawk, common diver, warbler, peccary, and ocelot. However, the development of this new corridor raises many questions about the future of this area and its ecological impact.