I have been a diligent and active observer of Tulum for nearly 25 years. First, I was inspired and awed by the stunning beaches, amazing ruins and incredible nature. I was then shocked by the huge influx of tourists from around the world leading to an unprecedented condominium-building boom. More recently, I was awestruck by the massive infrastructure projects and increasingly huge developments being built simultaneously throughout the city.
Tulum is in so many ways a textbook case study of what can happen when such significant investment pours into an area. On one hand, it has the potential to do so much good to improve people’s lives. But on the other hand, it can have terrible consequences as well — with environmental destruction, corruption, crime and greed often taking hold. Protecting the environment can quickly take a back seat. What was once an employment boom can overnight turn into a painful unemployment bust. Things can, and often do, get messy very quickly.
And messy is a good way to describe the current state of Tulum. For many years, the city was a magnet for both foreigners and Mexicans from across the country — a literal gold rush of opportunity drawing in entrepreneurs, laborers, developers, yoga teachers and everyone in between. Those that came were united in a simple dream: to live in paradise and improve their economic circumstances. In many ways, this was “the Mexican Dream.” Opportunity was everywhere for anyone willing to come and work hard. Now, many of those that remain speak of the greed that ultimately set in, the skyrocketing prices that pushed tourists and immigrants away, the crime and corruption that discouraged investment, and the sargassum that scared tourists from coming.
More than one factor has contributed to Tulum’s current state of affairs. As is the story in many case studies, the answer is complicated and a deep understanding of the problem requires a careful, unemotional analysis. Despite the troubles currently plaguing Tulum, it’s important to note that money continues to pour into the area. Funding from the federal, state, and local levels as well as private investment is still visible everywhere. Many people point to the boom and bust cycles that shaped the histories of other cities — from Las Vegas to Miami to Dubai — as a way to understand and process what has happened in Tulum. It’s dynamic, it’s complicated, it’s messy, but there is little doubt that Tulum right now is having an identity crisis.
Which brings us to the big question: Can Tulum get its groove back?
Check out this week’s episode of “Confidently Wrong: Tulum” below on our MND TV Youtube channel or on Spotify as we seek to answer this important question. Please weigh in on the comments and tell us, do you think Tulum can get its groove back?
Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.
