Background and Key Players
Mahahual, a coastal town in southeastern Mexico bordering the second-largest coral reef system globally, faces a significant threat from Royal Caribbean’s proposed Perfect Day project. The initiative, initially announced in October 2024 with an investment of over $600 million, aims to create a 90-hectare exclusive resort for cruise passengers disembarking in southern Quintana Roo. The investment was later updated to $1 billion by Governor Mara Lezama in May 2025.
Royal Caribbean plans to replicate its successful Perfect Day CocoCay development in the Bahamas, offering exclusive amenities such as water slides, international restaurants, infinity pools, and adult-only areas. The company envisions the Mahahual port transitioning from 2 million annual visitors to 5 million by 2030, creating approximately 3,000 jobs, with at least 1,000 during construction and the rest for operation.
Concerns Raised by the Opposition
A petition titled “Salvemos Mahahual” (Save Mahahual) on Change.org, initiated by Morgane Vainberg, a diving instructor and social anthropologist, has garnered 207,000 signatures. The petition argues that the Perfect Day project endangers Mahahual’s biodiversity, local communities’ rights, and the region’s ecological balance.
- Biodiversity Threat: The project plans to build a 90-hectare water park on a protected mangrove area, which is crucial for marine life and ecological equilibrium.
- Local Rights and Identity: The project directly threatens the right of access to and use of the sea, beaches, and mangroves, local identity, way of life, and the survival of unique and threatened ecosystems housing endangered species like marine turtles, manatees, mangroves, and the second-largest coral reef globally.
Government Response and Future Developments
Óscar Rébora, Secretary of Ecology and Environment (SEMA) in Quintana Roo, acknowledged concerns but also pointed out misinformation surrounding the project. Since the Environmental Impact Assessment has not been submitted, there are no details about the project’s exact location or potential environmental impacts. Rébora emphasized that discussing supposed environmental damage is premature without a formal proposal.
The project includes connecting with the Tren Maya, building a private wastewater treatment plant, and ensuring self-sufficiency in potable water through reverse osmosis. Additionally, plans involve expanding the current cruise ship dock, which ranks second nationally in cruse ship arrivals, just below Cozumel.
