Meagan Drillinger
As tourism continues to thrive in Riviera Maya, the destination is looking to future developments. There are several upcoming projects in the pipeline, so I spoke with Conrad Bergwerf, president of the Hotel Association of Tourism for Riviera Maya and general manager of the Paradisus Playa del Carmen, to get the details.
"We are looking at another 4,000 rooms coming in the next 18 months, several of which are under construction now," said Bergwerf. The investment is coming in after the positive airlift numbers that have been coming through 2018. As far as the investment dollars are concerned, Bergwerf said there are four main segments being targeted: Leisure, Weddings, Adventure, and MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions).
As for hotels, a large amount of property development is happening with Spanish brands like Paradisus parent Melia and the recent Haven Resort, which operates under Hipotels Hotels & Resorts. In addition, Hilton is developing a hotel, as is Four Seasons, which will be opening somewhere in the Riviera Maya, though Bergwerf couldn't give specifics.
Looking past Riviera Maya, Bergwerf sees continued development in areas beyond Tulum, as the worldwide trend continues for travelers wanting to go deeper into popular destinations. Akumal and Bacalar were two Quintana Roo destinations in particular where Bergwerf sees continued development.
"The idea and the trend is to not build big hotels there," he said. "Quintana Roo is making it more exclusive, with small boutique hotels to lower the impact of construction in order to have more green options and be more sustainable in that area, especially in Bacalar." What this means is that the construction code will be tighter, and density will be lower.
One area where Riviera Maya can improve its numbers is in the MICE market. "We have seen MICE numbers falling in 2018, compared against 2017, and for 2019 the forecast is still slow," said Bergwerf. In Riviera Maya there is 40 million square feet of convention space between all the hotels, and the destination is eager to get the message out that it is still one of the best options for MICE travel in Mexico.
Bergwerf also mentioned the Mayan Train project that will be coming as part of the new government administration, connecting Cancun to far-flung places like Palenque. "This development will give tourists the option to go on a one-day tour to Palenque, which is one of the most beautiful sites we have in Mexico. To get there right now is still very difficult, but with this train coming it gives tourists the options to see other things, experience new adventure and culture."
Above all, Bergwerf wanted to stress the message that the Riviera Maya is safe, and Quintana Roo is safe. "Like everywhere else you have good days, and you have better days. Security is the main focus of the government to ensure that tourists that come from all over the world have a safe stay in Quintana Roo. We are open to business, we need tourism, and we love the U.S.," he said.