I’ve been to Tulum twice - once in 1996 (magic) and again in 2018 (less magic but still OK, lots of taxi haggling and no ATM’s working).
The writing was well and truly on the wall in 2018.
I also went to Acapulco in 1996. I think it went through this boom and bust cycle in the 70’s & 80’s. By 96 it could be best described as faded grandeur. The main tourism was domestic and the pricing reflected that. I really liked it but those who invested big money to build actual grandeur probably didn’t.
I wonder if Tulum might go the same way. Harder to see in this day and age.
Tony, we might actually have been on the same stretch of beach in 1996 😉
I was in Acapulco in 1983, and I still remember how beautiful it was. That sense of confidence, glamour, and ease before the cracks started to show.
You’re spot on about Acapulco’s domestic tourism advantage. Proximity to Mexico City gave it a resilience that many destinations don’t have. Tulum could expand its domestic market, absolutely. But I agree with you, infrastructure gaps, trust erosion, and coordination issues don’t magically disappear just because the guest passport changes.
The hopeful part is that decline isn’t inevitable. With long-term vision, cooperation across stakeholders, and a willingness to plan beyond the next season, destinations can course-correct. The question is whether that alignment happens early enough.
No hotel owner willingly wants to drop from $400 a night to $80 a night, let alone everyone all at once.
I saw a post in mid December from someone who was in Tulum and they basically said they were the only ones there. Literally the only tourist walking the streets.
It has potential as a nomad destination with fair monthly room rates, especially in low season - but again I think it needs a few more seasons with those who have put money down trying for the $400 a night crowd before they realise it isn’t going to happen for all the reasons you’ve outlined.
Sounds like an opportunity to me? Why just accept it will be dead.
Very similar to your post on Sunday about destination marketing and management - the staff are there and needed for Thanksgiving and are needed again for Xmas and New Year.
It’s getting cold in the US and weather is great in Tulum.
Great time to be helping US companies set up remote campuses for a month with well priced month long room rates and free access to meeting and working spaces.
On the world tourism stage, has any iconic destination performed well, going from low-key beauty and ambiance to growth in a non-threatening fashion but with reasonable (maybe even massive) growth, Kay?
There are places that have handled growth more intentionally. Bhutan is one. Parts of Costa Rica are another. Saba too. None of them are perfect, but in each case there was an early decision to put guardrails around growth so it didn’t completely overrun what made the place special in the first place.
And to be clear, I love the Tulum region. This wasn’t written as a takedown. It was written as a cautionary story. When a destination becomes world-class, the margin for misalignment gets very small. What’s sold has to keep matching what’s actually experienced.
That’s why Tulum matters as an example. Not because it’s “bad,” but because if trust can quietly erode there, it can happen anywhere. Growth itself isn’t the villain. Unmanaged growth is.
The real question for destinations isn’t “how do we get bigger?” It’s “how do we grow without breaking the promise that got people to care in the first place?”
I think this misses also factoring in the general public’s fear of Mexico and politics… how does Tulum compare to other Mexican destinations? The marketing story for Mexico in general needs a refresh…
Ah good point Emily. Having lived in the region for so long, I took a more regional, local approach illustrating how the guest experience does not match the marketing.
Excellent article and a cautionary tale.
I’ve been to Tulum twice - once in 1996 (magic) and again in 2018 (less magic but still OK, lots of taxi haggling and no ATM’s working).
The writing was well and truly on the wall in 2018.
I also went to Acapulco in 1996. I think it went through this boom and bust cycle in the 70’s & 80’s. By 96 it could be best described as faded grandeur. The main tourism was domestic and the pricing reflected that. I really liked it but those who invested big money to build actual grandeur probably didn’t.
I wonder if Tulum might go the same way. Harder to see in this day and age.
Tony, we might actually have been on the same stretch of beach in 1996 😉
I was in Acapulco in 1983, and I still remember how beautiful it was. That sense of confidence, glamour, and ease before the cracks started to show.
You’re spot on about Acapulco’s domestic tourism advantage. Proximity to Mexico City gave it a resilience that many destinations don’t have. Tulum could expand its domestic market, absolutely. But I agree with you, infrastructure gaps, trust erosion, and coordination issues don’t magically disappear just because the guest passport changes.
The hopeful part is that decline isn’t inevitable. With long-term vision, cooperation across stakeholders, and a willingness to plan beyond the next season, destinations can course-correct. The question is whether that alignment happens early enough.
No hotel owner willingly wants to drop from $400 a night to $80 a night, let alone everyone all at once.
I saw a post in mid December from someone who was in Tulum and they basically said they were the only ones there. Literally the only tourist walking the streets.
It has potential as a nomad destination with fair monthly room rates, especially in low season - but again I think it needs a few more seasons with those who have put money down trying for the $400 a night crowd before they realise it isn’t going to happen for all the reasons you’ve outlined.
I will say, from after US Thanksgiving week to right before Christmas it is dead. It has always been that way.
I was there this December because it tends to be quieter and flights are a bit cheaper.
Sounds like an opportunity to me? Why just accept it will be dead.
Very similar to your post on Sunday about destination marketing and management - the staff are there and needed for Thanksgiving and are needed again for Xmas and New Year.
It’s getting cold in the US and weather is great in Tulum.
Great time to be helping US companies set up remote campuses for a month with well priced month long room rates and free access to meeting and working spaces.
Oh. And start marketing it now. Not at Thanksgiving.
Amen.
On the world tourism stage, has any iconic destination performed well, going from low-key beauty and ambiance to growth in a non-threatening fashion but with reasonable (maybe even massive) growth, Kay?
That’s a really fair question.
There are places that have handled growth more intentionally. Bhutan is one. Parts of Costa Rica are another. Saba too. None of them are perfect, but in each case there was an early decision to put guardrails around growth so it didn’t completely overrun what made the place special in the first place.
And to be clear, I love the Tulum region. This wasn’t written as a takedown. It was written as a cautionary story. When a destination becomes world-class, the margin for misalignment gets very small. What’s sold has to keep matching what’s actually experienced.
That’s why Tulum matters as an example. Not because it’s “bad,” but because if trust can quietly erode there, it can happen anywhere. Growth itself isn’t the villain. Unmanaged growth is.
The real question for destinations isn’t “how do we get bigger?” It’s “how do we grow without breaking the promise that got people to care in the first place?”
Thanks.
I think this misses also factoring in the general public’s fear of Mexico and politics… how does Tulum compare to other Mexican destinations? The marketing story for Mexico in general needs a refresh…
Ah good point Emily. Having lived in the region for so long, I took a more regional, local approach illustrating how the guest experience does not match the marketing.