Tulum is to be Mexico’s first sustainable tourism development zone.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto will sign off on a decree to create the zone by mid-October just prior to leaving office, said Quintana Roo tourism secretary Marisol Vanegas Pérez.
Tulum was chosen to be the first due to its impressive rate of growth as a tourism center but one which is also not being managed sustainably.
Public and tourism related services and infrastructure have not kept pace with the rapid development in the hotel sector, said Vanegas.
New policies will be adopted to ensure development continues at a more measured pace with a focus on the green economy.
The government will allocate resources to set out sustainability criteria, Vanegas added.
Federal Tourism Secretary Enrique de la Madrid earlier this year laid out initial aims for a designated sustainable tourism development zone.
These include the preserving of natural resources, respecting cultural values and ensuring local residents share in the prosperity that tourism brings through job creation and in other ways.
The Tulum area, located south of Cancun, has become increasingly popular with both domestic and international tourists lured by a mix of fine beaches and archaeological sites.
Vanegas said that offshore Isla Mujeres could also become a sustainable tourism zone in the future.
