How much tourism is too much? Cozumel weighs whether a fourth cruise dock is worth it

The on-again, off-again, on-again task to physique a 4th cruise vessel dock successful Cozumel has been paused by the Environment Ministry (Semarnat) which is reconsidering the support it granted conscionable 2 months ago.

Advocates for Cozumel’s coral reefs were stunned successful April erstwhile Semarnat greenlit the task to grow a cruise vessel larboard that would allegedly harm the Villa Blanca Reef, reversing a 2022 determination to cancel the construction.

Cozumel presently has 3 docks that tin accommodate cruise ships. Each dock has 2 to 3 docking slips. (Cuartoscuro)

On Friday, Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena announced that Semarnat would transportation retired a caller biology interaction survey with a peculiar absorption connected the reef, and the rights of the section colonisation to a steadfast environment.

The Villa Blanca Reef is simply a captious situation for marine beingness and a fashionable tract for divers and snorkelers, according to Yucatán Magazine. Construction of the dock implicit the reef volition smother coral formations, displace marine taxon and degrade h2o quality, scientists say.

Opponents of the task importune the planned pier would disrupt the island’s delicate ecological balance, undoing 20 years of restoration work.

Emergency responders accidental the pier task — which would inhabit 59,000 quadrate meters of national maritime portion — would obstruct Coast Guard routes, delaying rescue missions successful confederate waters.

Among the economical repercussions, long-standing dive operators and scuba grooming centers would suffer entree to the reef, efficaciously shutting down their operations. Snorkeling guides who supply tours successful Villa Blanca would besides look an uncertain future.

Activists besides constituent retired that the determination chosen for the caller dock lies connected the lone readily accessible formation for locals.

Residents are besides mostly against the operation project, according to tourism website Reportur. Many cozmuleños, arsenic residents are known, not lone reason the biology damage, but besides similar overnight visitors who walk much wealth than cruise passengers.

“Cruises … connection acold less benefits per visitant than overnight visitors,” Cozumel nonmigratory Rodrigo Huesca Alcántara told Reportur. A visitant who stays 5 days, eats astatine section restaurants and pays for tours provides a overmuch larger nett than cruise passengers who sojourn for conscionable a fewer hours, helium said.

Toni Cháves, president of the Riviera Maya Hotel Association, besides criticized the biology harm the task would cause.

“We don’t unrecorded disconnected of tourism,” helium said. “We unrecorded disconnected of the earthy quality that attracts tourism.”

The connection for a 4th cruise vessel dock has stirred contention connected the land of Cozumel, wherever a colonisation of 88,000 hosts millions of tourists a year. (Ryan Grewell/Unsplash)

Bárcena’s announcement came conscionable 10 days aft Muelles del Caribe said it was opening operation connected Cozumel’s 4th pier that would beryllium susceptible of accommodating the world’s largest cruise ships.

The latest intermission was prompted by an injunction filed against Semarnat’s determination connected June 13, aft which Semarnat acknowledged that immoderate permits and concessions related to the required biology interaction survey person yet to beryllium granted.

Opponents importune their absorption goes beyond the biology demolition the task would cause. They accidental the fiscal benefits of the cruise manufacture bash not trickle down to section residents.

Quintana Roo TV presumption Canal 12 reported that though the cruise manufacture generates US $740 cardinal per year, 40% of section residents unrecorded beneath the poorness line.

Opposition to the operation of a 4th pier dates backmost to 2021. Semarnat approved the 511 million-peso task (US $24 million) successful December 2021, but it was halted by a national justice successful February 2022.

With reports from El Financiero, Reportur and Yucatán Magazine