Has Tulum Already Seen its Best Days? The Overtourism of Tulum

We all know about Tulum: this chic, tropical, and relatively inexpensive destination has been drawing the masses for the past decade. But is overtourism ruining Tulum? Is it soon facing its demise? How did Tulum even get so popular, and what can we do about it? This blog explores all of these questions and includes sources that provide even more information. Read on!

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First, a Few Thoughts

February 2022 was my first time visiting Tulum — yes, I’m late to the party, I know. I didn’t arrive with many expectations because 1) I didn’t want to be disappointed because of high expectations and 2) I don’t want to make preconceived judgements about a location because of low expectations. I was well aware that Tulum was grossly popular among tourists. For the past few years, almost all of the travelers I followed on Instagram posted content from Tulum at least once. I remember during global lockdowns in the spring of 2020, visitors flocked to Tulum because it was one of the only destinations still “open” for business. As someone who lives in the southeastern region of the U.S., Tulum was a short flight away and I was overdue for a visit.

I actually really liked Tulum…which was kind of a surprise for me because I typically prefer off-the-beaten-path destinations or places where locals make up the majority. I also visited during a slow time of the year, so there weren’t as many tourists as I’m sure there would have been during the peak seasons. I enjoyed the nature, which in many ways still seemed raw and rugged. I enjoyed the street food (there were the most delicious vegan tacos at La Cordobesita Tulum), the nods to Mayan culture and history, and the ultra-chic “Tulum aesthetics.”

Even though I enjoyed my visit, I could tell that Tulum was growing at a pace exponentially faster than what it could keep up with. When I returned home, I wanted to research the ways in which Tulum was sustainable (or the lack thereof); specifically, I was interested in the ways in which the tourism in Tulum impacted the environment and the regional government. In the subsequent sections, I will share what I learned. I won’t include in-line references, but instead will list all of the sources I used at the bottom of this blog (and these sources go into even more detail. I encourage you to check them out — they’re awesome)!

I also want to mention that overtourism exists in many places around the world; Tulum is no exception. This blog isn’t meant to lambaste Tulum and the people who decide to visit and move there, but to draw attention to the ways in which our decisions have a profound impact on the people, animals, and land around us — even if we’re not aware of it.

How Tulum turned into the “New Ibiza”

Quick bit of history: for most of its existence, the Yucatán peninsula was home to different groups of indigenous people now collectively referred to as the Mayan people (the Mayan civilization(s) has some awesome history, but that’ll be left for another time). After the Spanish colonizers destroyed most of the Mayan societal centers, the Yucatán peninsula was largely just home to jungles, wetlands, an array of wildlife, and small pockets of Mayan-descended communities.

Tulum turning into the hot spot it now is has its origins in the development of Cancún. Located 2 hours north of Tulum, Cancún has been on the world map for decades. The development of Cancún started in 1970. The Mexican government noticed the potential for Cancún island (the narrow strip of land wedged between the Caribbean Sea and the Nichupte Lagoon) to grow into a massive tourist destination. Of course, this industry would generate a ton of money for Mexico. The development of Cancún also coincided with the annexation of Quintana Roo becoming an official Mexican state in 1974.

As we clearly see, Cancún was a massive success. The tropical paradise attracted visitors from all over the world and became a huge source of revenue for Quintana Roo and the federal government. It turned into a very “commercial” tourism town, so travelers who aren’t into those kind of destinations started looking elsewhere. This is part of the reason of how the city of Playa del Carmen came to be. But even then, Playa del Carmen quickly transformed in a seaside urban sprawl, so off-the-beaten-path travelers started look further south yet again. Entering from stage left: Tulum.

In the 1990s, Tulum was so un-touched that eating lunch or dinner outside meant that you could have your food snatched up by a monkey if you weren’t paying attention. During this time, Tulum was popular with hippies and backpackers (and not the rich kind that we see in Tulum today). There were just a few simple bed-and-breakfasts and small restaurants operating along Tulum’s beach road. Tulum town, located about 1.5 miles away from the beach, was just known as a trucking stop for drivers who were making their way up or down the coast.

But as more and more people started coming to Tulum as an alternative to the bustle of Cancún and Playa del Carmen, Tulum grew too quickly for its own good. By 2010, Tulum developed a culture as a destination that attracted (wealthy) yogis, spiritual gurus, and greedy developers (most of whom were not Mexican). By 2012, the wealthy developers and gurus brought their popular model and celebrity friends to Tulum. And by 2015, social media influencers were posting all about Tulum, and now everyone else came pouring in. And here we are, with “sustainable” eco-chic hotel rates going for over $800 USD a night.

Tulum had to quickly grow to keep up with demand. Since Tulum had to develop pretty much overnight, a lot of these developments were inefficient, unethical, and even illegal (the sources I listed below go into more detail about this). Now, there are major repercussions.

The Impacts of Overtourism in Tulum

As one can imagine, there are not-so-great outcomes of Tulum having to grow so quickly. Here are some unintended consequences I found in my research:

• The beach part of Tulum doesn’t have an electrical grid, so all of the hotels, restaurants, and other businesses along the beach road run on noisy and inefficient generators.

• The native sea turtle population has been dwindling (though there are conservation efforts to move the breeding areas on government-protected grounds).

• Because tourism has brought so much money to Tulum, drug violence and corruption have skyrocketed.

• Local Mexicans see very little of this money, as most of the massive revenue goes to non-local business tycoons.

• Tulum doesn’t have a proper sewage system, so a lot of waste seeps into the underground river system and goes into the cenotes. This also has a pernicious effect on the forms of life in the area who rely on the water.

• There also isn’t adequate solid waste infrastructure, so most of the garbage in Tulum is dumped in the middle of the jungle.

• Native species — especially the monkeys and toucans that populated the area — are becoming harder and harder to find.

What We Can Do About It

In full transparency, I don’t have have much to offer here. I think that capitalism is a big beast, and it’s hard to dismantle the effects of it. What I do believe in, though, is the power of the collective. Remember that travel is a privilege, not a right. When we visit spaces and interact with the life forms unfamiliar to us, we must do it with the utmost reverence. For people visiting Tulum (and other place where overtourism is causing issues), we must be extra mindful of the mark we’re leaving. Are we seeking out local Mexican-owned businesses, and are we supporting them? Are doing our own research, learning from a variety of sources and perspectives, and sharing what we learned with others? Are we adhering to our own practices of sustainability?

The documentary I’ve included below includes some other things we can do to combat the overtourism.

Sources for More Learning

• Documentary: The Dark Side of Tulum ***(includes information of how to support efforts on the ground)***

• Who Killed Tulum, Mexico? - The Cut (absolutely amazing piece of journalism)

• Tulum is Utterly Terrible. - Nomadic Matt

• The Contoversial and Enchanting Tulum, Mexico - Cultural Foodies

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Have you visited Tulum before? If so, what did you think? If you’ve visited other destinations prone to over-tourism, how was your experience? I’d love to hear in the comments below.