Tourism crisis hits Playa del Carmen; Fifth Avenue looks half-empty at night
The tourism crisis currently affecting Tulum appears not to be an isolated case in Quintana Roo. Images captured this Sunday night on Playa del Carmen’s iconic Fifth Avenue show restaurants, bars, and other establishments practically empty around 8:30 PM—a time traditionally associated with high tourist traffic.
According to social activist Antonio Ramos, who personally toured the area and documented the situation, many businesses had very few occupied tables, despite being located in one of the Mexican Caribbean’s most important tourist corridors. Photographs show international restaurants, sports bars, and eateries with very few customers present.
This testimony and the images reflect a reality that business owners and merchants across various municipalities had already been warning about: the slump in economic and tourism activity is beginning to spread beyond Tulum. A drop in visitor numbers, rising service costs, the sargassum seaweed problem, and economic uncertainty are among the factors merchants cite as contributing to the issue.
Ramos noted that Fifth Avenue used to bustle with nightlife—especially during sports broadcasts and on weekends—but now, many businesses struggle to attract enough customers to maintain regular operations.
The situation has sparked concern among workers, restaurateurs, and small business owners, who say the season is not performing as well as in previous years, directly impacting income, jobs, and local spending in one of the state’s key destinations.
Source: mexicodailypost
