Since Royal Caribbean Group’s ambitious plans to turn the Mexican port of Costa Maya into a private destination known as Perfect Day Mexico were struck down by SEMARNAT, Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, turmoil has continued to affect both company and port.
On 1 June, a group of protestors blocked access to the Port of Costa Maya, effectively cancelling all shore excursions for passengers docked there on two Royal Caribbean vessels.
Royal Caribbean had spent $292 million to acquire the Port of Costa Maya, with the total estimated investment expected to be “north of a billion dollars”, according to Royal Caribbean’s chief product innovation officer, Jay Schneider.
The development was to be part of a plan to create exclusive, branded Royal Caribbean destinations within the Caribbean, complementing the line’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, and its private beach clubs in Nassau in the Bahamas and Cozumel in Mexico. It was also intended to be a destination that could be reached from homeported ships in Galveston, Texas, and from Royal Caribbean’s largest Oasis-class and Icon-class vessels.
Concerns from environmentalists and locals had grown exponentially in recent months. The proposed development is near the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second-largest barrier reef in the world.
Royal Caribbean Group expressed disappointment with the government’s ruling.
There were signals that all was not well with the project, after reports emerged earlier this year that construction was halted on the proposed development site. Royal Caribbean Group insisted at the time that the project would proceed as planned.
The ruling by SEMARNAT also draws into question the viability of these private destinations, which require extensive ecological studies, years of government wrangling and approvals, and opposition by locals concerned about everything from overtourism to potential ecological damage.
Royal Caribbean Group, for its part, says it remains committed to the region, vowing to move forward only “in a way that delivers shared prosperity through the development of essential environmental infrastructure, the creation of thousands of local jobs and community programs that support the people of Mexico”.
It was reported this week that Royal Caribbean Group and the Mexican government were in talks to find a new location for Perfect Day Mexico; however, protests by local operators in Costa Maya send a clear signal that the plans are not entirely welcome in Mexico.
The Mexican government’s ruling is just one of the logistical problems affecting the cruise industry: Greek authorities unveiled a new plan to restrict passenger movements on the island of Santorini, something CLIA’s top boss, Bud Darr, criticised heavily in Athens earlier in the week.
