In Cancun, the Secretariat of Urban Development of the municipality of Benito Juárez, headed by Nahielli Orozco, launched a comprehensive plan to rescue abandoned buildings and businesses in different parts of the city and the hotel zone.
The strategy, launched in 2025, seeks to improve the urban image and reduce security risks, in coordination with the Trust for the Strengthening of Tourism Activity of Quintana Roo (Foatqroo). During 2024, the municipality counted about 180 abandoned buildings, of which only 35 were intervened through walling or partial rehabilitation.
The lag was attributed to the lack of inter-institutional coordination and the difficulty in locating the owners. Citizen perception reflected a growing deterioration in downtown areas and tourist areas. In contrast, by 2025 significant progress was reported: 245 buildings identified as abandoned, with 92 direct intervention actions (demolitions, walling up and rehabilitation).
That represented a 162 percent increase in response capacity compared to the previous year; in addition, contact was established with more than 60 percent of the owners, which made it possible to speed up legal and administrative processes.
Projections for 2026 point to a consolidation of the program: according to preliminary data, it is expected that at least 150 additional properties will have been served by the end of the year, which would bring the total to more than 240 in two consecutive years.
The goal is to reduce by 70 percent the presence of abandoned buildings in the hotel zone, considered the tourist showcase of Cancun. By 2025, with the recovery of spaces, a 15 percent reactivation in commercial occupancy was reported, generating around 400 direct jobs.
The expectations for 2026 are to reach a 30 percent recovery of business.
Source: Quadratín Quintana Roo
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