The summer season hasn’t brought the expected relief to small hotels in downtown Playa del Carmen, which closed last week with an average hotel occupancy rate of 37 percent, an alarming figure for the sector.
This was announced by Offner Arjona, president of the destination’s Small Hotels Association, who described the situation as a “persistent bad streak” that is hitting business owners in the sector hard.
Although the presence of sargassum has been one of the main impacts on the destination’s image, scaring away tourists who only stay for one night and then seek other options, Arjona emphasized that the problem goes much further, reinforcing the perception of a less attractive destination, worsening the decline in occupancy.
“It’s not just the sargassum; there’s a widespread issue of disorder, excessive noise from bars and nightclubs surrounding small hotels and hostels, uncontrolled street vendors on Fifth Avenue and surrounding areas, chaos in transportation from the Cancún and Tulum airports, and, above all, the constant harassment of tourists by bus drivers. All of this has been deteriorating the Riviera Maya,” Arjona stated.
The hotel leader emphasized the lack of control and regulation in the downtown area, which is seriously affecting the competitiveness of small hotels compared to other destinations or more organized areas.
It’s worth mentioning that Playa del Carmen is currently the destination hardest hit in Quintana Roo by the massive sargassum grounding, a situation that has severely damaged the image of the tourist destination and impacted hotel occupancy, especially in the city center.
Source: reportur
