Sargassum, affects the affluence of Chichén

“The low influx was not due to the rise in fees”

“The influx of tourists to the archaeological sites of Chichen Itza and Ek Balam decreased between 7% and 8% in 2019 compared to the previous year, as a result of the crisis of the sargassum in Quintana Roo”, stated the director of the Patronato Cultur, Mauricio Diaz Montalvo.

“Against what some might point out, this decrease was not due to the increase in access fees to the ruins -an increase of 100%-, but it is due to the problems with sargassum in Quintana Roo that affected the areas that depend on tourism in the state” he said.

“In contrast, the influx of visitors to the archaeological sites near Mérida grew by an average of 2% per year and even Uxmal grew by 14%”, he continued.

“There, the number of visitors increased from 350,000 in 2018 to 399,000 in 2019”, he added.

In an interview, the director of the Patronato Cultur also referred to the impact that the Mayan Train project would have on the Chichen Itza area.

This work, he said, would allow the creation of a new pole of attractions in land near the archaeological zone, but it would not be in Pisté “because it would invade the protected area of Chichén Itzá”.

“This center would be built on land that does not belong to Chichen, in the municipality of Tinum, in a place, where the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has verified that the existence of archeological remains is not an obstacle because they can be removed”, stated the official.

Diaz Montalvo concluded that Fonatur, “which deals with the subject of the Maya Train Project,” is considering several options for building the train station that will pass through Chichen Itza and all are very close to the entrance to the ruins, so it will be necessary to expand the facilities of the Parador de Turismo de Cultur”.

The Yucatan Times
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