Today marks the official restart of tourism in some of Mexico's most desirable beach destinations. Hotels, resorts and other hospitality operators in hotspots like Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos, Riviera Maya, Akumal and Tulum, have begun welcoming guests again (in limited capacities), thanks to orders from Quintana Roo's governor, Carlos Manuel Joaquín González.
The state recently launched its 'Mexican Caribbean Clean & Safe Check Certification' for hospitality service providers-everything from hotels and resorts, spas, water parks, golf courses, and food and beverage establishments to travel agencies, tour operators and transportation outfits-to prove that they've brought their health and safety protocols and practices up to par for effectively combatting the spread of COVID-19.
In April, Associated Press reported that the Mexican-Caribbean state of Quintana Roo, whose economy is heavily dependent upon tourism dollars, suffered the most devastating volume of job losses anywhere in the country after coronavirus-related shutdowns landed in mid-March-accounting for 64,000 jobs of the nearly 347,000 that disappeared in Mexico.
As such, there's a real push from state officials and tourism authorities in all of these Mexican-Caribbean coastal destinations to jump-start travel into the area, including a coordinated campaign called #Come2MexicanCaribbean, which is offering discounts and "twofer" deals on resort and hotel stays, car rentals, activities and more.
At this point, Quintana Roo is likely relying most heavily on Mexican domestic visitors, since its U.S. market remains under a Level-4 advisory that discourages Americans from traveling internationally. On top of which, the U.S. and Mexico maintain a joint agreement to restrict non-essential (i.e., leisure), cross-border travel, which has been extended through June 22, 2020.
Still, that might mean that vacationers from the U.S. could begin flying into Mexico as early as July. Fox Business pointed out that major airlines are slowly beginning to resume international routes, with Southwest and American Airlines now flying again into major Mexican tourism spots like Cancun and Los Cabos, and Delta Air Lines planning to restart select service options from Atlanta into Cancun and Mexico City.
The outlet also highlighted that, when the time comes, inbound travelers will be subject to health screenings, including temperature checks, upon their arrival in Mexico, and those exhibiting any symptoms will require additional screenings and could be placed under quarantine.
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