A sharp drop in hotel occupancy in the Quintana Roo resort destination of Tulum is causing alarm among the local tourism and commercial sectors, with videos circulating on social media showing empty streets, restaurants and beaches. 

Hotel occupancy fell by 17.5 percentage points in September compared to the same month last year, from 66.7% to 49.2%, according to the state Tourism Ministry (Sedetur).

Mayor Diego Castañón did not deny the low figures, attributing them to a slower-than-usual low season. But he claimed that the seriousness of the situation has been exaggerated by a smear campaign orchestrated by the private sector and social media influencers. 

He assured the media that tourism to Tulum should rebound from November through the end of the year.

The governor’s interpretation of the tourism drop is not universally shared, especially since the slowdown began to be noticeable over the summer, typically a high season for the beach destination. 

Jorge Portillo Mánica, a member of the Tulum City Council, reported that during the 2025 summer break, hotels in the area of ​​Tulum had reached a mere 15% occupancy.

“This isn’t a game,” Portillo said back then. “Tulum is experiencing its worst tourism crisis, and the sargassum is compounding the worst tourist season in history.” 

Haydee Hernández, head of the Tourism Promotion for the Tulum City Council, told the news outlet Animal Político that one of the causes behind the atypical tourism drop during this slow season is the large quantities of sargassum washing up on the coast.

The noxious seaweed invaded Quintana Roo’s beaches with unprecedented intensity for much of the year. The situation became so critical over the summer that nearly all beaches from the northern part of Tulum to the southern coast of Playa del Carmen, as well as the eastern part of Cozumel, were on red alert.

However, social media users are blaming the decline in tourism on the high costs of lodging, recreational activities and food.

“Even small shops wanted to sell you a soda for 200 pesos. I hope they saved up for the time they [now have] to enjoy it,” a user said in a post with over 69,000 likes.

With reports from Animal Político, El Economista and Milenio