Mexico’s President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s expanded plans for a Mayan tourist train route which aims to connect the gaps between the tourist hotspots of Quintana Roo and many lesser known ‘magnificent cultural treasures.’
Plans were announced to extend it through 1,500 kilometers connecting all major points of the Mayan region in the Mexican states of Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo.
It will likely cost in excess of US$6 billion.
"Nowhere else in the world is there a region with so many and such magnificent cultural treasures as this region, which witnessed the flowering of the great Mayan culture," said Lopez Obrador, adding that the Maya Train project will be a cornerstone of tourism development.
Two routes will connect towns and key attractions on the east and west coasts of the Yucatan Peninsula.
"This project will attract a lot of tourism, and of course it will create jobs in the southeast, which is the most neglected part of the country," Lopez Obrador added.
Apart from the celebrated Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, Calakmul and Tulum, the train will also put tourist destinations such as Campeche, Merida, Izamal and Valladolid on the map for a greater number of visitors.
It may also help to disperse tourism across the region in more even numbers.
The big tourist resorts of Quintana Roo attracted 16.9 million tourists last year.
