The problem of collecting and treating the sargassum that washes up on the beaches of the Mexican Caribbean is a matter of concern and turmoil for business leaders in the Mexican Caribbean. They comment that it is an issue that all three levels of government can contribute to in order to work toward progress and that, at the very least, domestic tourism can boost tourism occupancy rates, unlike the war and trade policy the United States is managing with the rest of the world, which is out of the hands of Mexican authorities, indicated Sugeiry Prieto Torres and Otto Von Bertrab, members of the Employers’ Confederation of the Mexican Republic (Coparmex).
“September Hunger” Hits the Tourism Sector Hard
The president of the Ecology Commission of Coparmex, Otto Von Bertrab, considered that the last two years, generally speaking, have been “lean years” in terms of tourism flow. He revealed that this September, now known as “September Hunger,” has been devastating for the arrival of tourists to the “Río Secreto” ecotourism park in Playa del Carmen and has worsened, with operations down 20 percent.
Given these negative numbers, the general director of “Río Secreto” believes that the 2026 World Cup, to be held in Mexico, will be held in the summer, and if the sargassum persists in the Riviera Maya, it will end up driving away visitors.
“It’s leading many of us to rethink our businesses. We’re losing weight; we have to get smaller,” – Otto Von Bertrab, member of Coparmex
The uncertainty of sargassum is more worrying than the World Cup
“There’s no word for sargassum, because one year it arrives and the next it doesn’t. The bad thing is the reputation that it arrives,” said Otto Von Bertrab.
The businessman noted that it will be up to the state government to advertise through a trust fund to help tourists visit Nuevo León, Mexico City, and Guadalajara; this is a task that the authorities must undertake from now on.
“I’m not betting that much on the World Cup, I think, and I’m more afraid of the sargassum. If there’s no sargassum, we’ll still do very well and do excellently in the summer,” he mentioned.
He added, “Last year was bad, and this year is much worse, so it’s leading many of us to rethink our businesses. We’re losing weight; we have to get smaller.”
Businesspeople Adjust Operations in the Face of the Sargassum Crisis
Otto Von Bertrab clarified that the measures businesspeople are taking during this period aren’t necessarily staff cuts, but rather expense cuts, so they need to streamline their businesses.
“The geopolitical situation is having a major impact, as is the political situation for Americans, who don’t know exactly what the situation will be like and aren’t going to be going downhill. However, winter hits Canadians and Americans hard, and they end up coming to the region, but we have no choice but to wait for it to recover. Furthermore, Canadians no longer want to go to the United States, and there’s an opportunity, and it’s likely more will come,” he stated.
Coparmex proposes crisis protocol for sargassum on Quintana Roo beaches
For her part, Sugeiry Prieto Torres stated that the members of the Coparmex Board of Directors want to make proposals to the three levels of government to address the problems affecting the municipality’s economy, such as sargassum.
She emphasized that they need to prepare and thoroughly understand the problems before making any criticism or pronouncements, which is why they need data to know where they are and ensure collaboration with the authorities.
Source: newsdaycaribe
