The hotel sector in the Mexican Caribbean, which includes associations in Cancún, Isla Mujeres, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, and the southern part of the state, bears the brunt of the economic burden, estimated at between 20 and 30 million dollars annually, depending on the intensity and location of the sargassum influx.
This year, the arrival of sargassum seaweed came more than a month earlier, beginning at the end of January. According to data from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, 15,124 tons have been removed, of which 3,669.8 tons were collected by the Mexican Navy.
In an interview with EFE, Lenin Amaro Betancourt, president of the Tourism Commission and coordinator for the southeast region of the National Association of Regional Business Councils, recalled that meetings were held between affected countries in 2019.
However, he pointed out that several countries must work together to collect the sargassum.
“Mexico, as part of the Mexican Caribbean, but also the United States, which has sargassum problems in Florida. Europe should be participating; for example, the Netherlands, which has interests in the Caribbean… Belgium itself, France… should be participating and contributing vessels,” he said.
“Today, hotels are allocating resources to sargassum removal at levels comparable to other relevant operating expenses, such as electricity,” he stated.
Amaro also criticized the lack of tax incentives to attract national and international investment.
For his part, David Ortiz Mena, president of the Mexican Caribbean Hotel Council, emphasized that sargassum could be used more efficiently.
“Today, hotels are allocating resources to sargassum removal at levels comparable to other relevant operating expenses, such as electricity,” he stated.
Nearly 90% of the sargassum that washes up on the beaches is removed by hotels, which have created specific “sargassum removal” stations and acquired equipment for removal without damaging the ecosystem or interfering with the sea turtle nesting season.
However, the speed of the cleanup does not completely avoid the environmental impact. As EFE confirmed with aerial images, even with immediate removal, the sea takes on brownish tones in strips near the coast, replacing the characteristic turquoise blue.
Valeria Rindertsma, president of the AMEXME Riviera Maya organization, warned that the crisis “must be taken more seriously.”
She also pointed out that “there is no complete coordination among the three levels of government” and that, although sargassum is now legally recognized as a resource to be utilized, “the regulations for its implementation are still lacking,” she stated.
She also explained that they are hoping for foreign investment or cleaning personnel to collect the sargassum “because if we want to utilize it, it has to be collected from the sea.”
He added that currently, there is only one sargassum collection vessel from the Navy, “but it can’t keep up. We also lack the port infrastructure in many areas, especially in Playa del Carmen, to accommodate these ships. There are a lot of things that need to be reviewed,” he acknowledged.
Rindertsma warned that, although there is business interest, the absence of an adequate legal framework limits investment.
“It’s something we have to continue working on, and all levels of government need to coordinate. In other words, there is interest from businesses in investing, let’s say, with this raw material, but the legal framework that would allow it isn’t in place. It’s holding back investment,” he lamented.
Source: efeverde
