The Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council (CPTQ) has declared that the 2019 sargassum season is over.
The marketing agency made the claim in a report sent to Mexican and international business associates such as wholesale travel agencies and tour operators.
“Multiple reports confirm that the sargassum season has reached its end,” the CPTQ said after acknowledging that large quantities of the seaweed washed up on Quintana Roo beaches during the past two months.
The agency said that 83% of Caribbean coast beaches are currently either free of sargassum or only affected by small amounts of the macroalgae. It noted that the arrival of the seaweed typically begins to decrease in August.
The CPTQ also cited remarks by Governor Carlos Joaquín González that the sargassum season is coming to an end, which “allow us to assure both tourists and commercial partners of Quintana Roo that the beaches of the Mexican Caribbean are free of sargassum.”
It added that there is no evidence that there could be more arrivals of the seaweed.
Wednesday’s report from the Cancún sargassum monitoring network shows that just three beaches in the northern half of mainland Quintana Roo – Punta Piedra, Tulum Ruinas and Punta Cancún – are currently affected by excessive quantities of seaweed.
Three beaches on the northeast coast of Cozumel are also plagued by excessive quantities of sargassum.
The monitoring network’s map shows that 34 beaches are affected by low levels, 27 are affected by moderate amounts and 13 currently have abundant quantities of the seaweed on or near the shoreline.
Massive amounts of sargassum have washed up on Quintana Roo beaches this year, the first in which the navy was given responsibility for combating the problem that not only deters tourism but also poses environmental risks.
The CPTQ stressed, however, that not all beaches were affected, noting that even when some were plagued by large amounts of sargassum, many others remained in pristine condition.
The agency warned tourism sector stakeholders that many media outlets exaggerate the sargassum problem and recommended that they, and the public in general, stay informed about the situation via official channels of communication.
Source: El Economista (sp)
