TULUM, Q. Roo — Two of the Punta Piedra hotels included in the mass eviction last June have been returned to their owners, with more expected.
Adolfo Contreras Grosskelwing, president of the Tulum and Akumal Hotel Association, made the announcement. “The hotels Villa las Estrellas and Hotel Azucar have been restored with others expected. As for the legal issues, we do not know exactly, but will in the coming days,” Grosskelwing said.
Evictions of hotels and other Tulum businesses took owners by surprise last June. (PHOTO: mexiconewsdaily.com)
He explained that the conflict is a dispute regarding the ejido Pino Suarez and involves whether or not ownership reaches the sea, if the titles are real, if they are original and/or valid. He added these are all things that, to date, have not been clarified. He says this is the reason he has demanded a thorough review.
The mass evictions in Punta Piedra affected both ejidatarios and foreign investors who lost hotels and restaurants. The evictions were cause for foreign embassies including Italy, Portugal, France and the Netherlands, to send a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to externalize its concern and request an investigation.
“That’s part of why we are asking the state government to return the legal certainty because they are aware that legal uncertainty in land tenure frightens investors and creates a lot of noise. It also leaves tourists fearful believing they can be evicted without notice,” Grosskelwing pointed out.
Grosskelwing is urging authorities on all three levels to rectify the situation to restore legal certainty in Tulum land tenure.
Source: riviera-maya-news.com