Tourism in Yucatan Roars to Life
Yucatan is a bright star for a return to tourism in Mexico. The region, deemed safe for travel by the U.S. State Department is flourishing while continuing to keep health and safety top of mind.
All of the tourism suppliers in the region are certified – hotels, restaurants, transportation providers, archaeological sites and more.
"We have been taking health very seriously and we will continue to do that," said Yucatan State Tourism Minister Michelle Fridman in a recent interview.
Fridman believes that the state's adherence to health and safety protocols will continue to bring Americans to the Yucatan.
"This advisory is recent and we are very happy about it," she said. "We are expecting more Americans to see us as a possible destination for travel."
The Yucatan did not sit idly by waiting for travelers to return during the pandemic. The region supported a number of upgrades to its main tourist port. The Yucatan Ministry of Tourism invested about $2.7 million in urban improvements in the tourist area of Puerto Progreso to provide visitors and cruise passengers with recreation areas, as well as the installation of a modern lighting system in the port dock.
"In Progreso, we improved the infrastructure and the services," she said. "It is a completely different destination than it was two years ago."
Fridman explained that, prior to COVID-19, in 2019, Progreso was getting ready to welcome more new cruise ships to the region as the port was continuing to grow and these preparations are now ready to welcome a new group of cruise ships as cruise lines begin to welcome passengers back.
In addition to cruising, tourism providers in the Yucatan have been working to develop more products and experiences for visitors.
To date, there are more than $770 million of private tourism investment in hotels, restaurants, marinas, tourist parks and tourism products, among others in the region.
According to Fridman, one of the main objectives of the continuous efforts of the Ministry of Tourism of Yucatan is innovation with a sustainable vision. More than 60 new tourism products have been developed and integrated covering market segments such as nature, culture, gastronomy, beach, adventure and "urban premium", among others.
"You could stay for more than one year in the Yucatan and you would never run out of things to do," she said. "We have been developing experiences all around the region, not just in popular places like Chichen-Itza, but all six regions of the Yucatan."
For visitors ready to travel to the Yucatan, the tourism website provides all the up-to-date information on what attractions are open and how they are operating. Fridman noted that almost everything is open for guests with careful attention paid to health and safety, which remains paramount for the destination.
