Royal Caribbean acquires Mahahual community center

Cancun, QRoo.- With the goal of gaining social validation that will allow it to advance in its purpose of building its $1 billion project in southern Quintana Roo, the Royal Caribbean cruise line announced that it has become the administrator of the Wayak Community Center in Mahahual.

The American company itself announced: “The Center and the company share the goal of improving this space for the people of Mahahual by 2026. These plans include relocating the Center to a larger, more accessible location and inviting the community to get involved in shaping the future of this space, initially through a community vote to name it.”

With these types of actions, the company seeks to change the perception that the natural environment of Mahahual and the identity of the entire community are at risk due to the scale of the changes that the Perfect Day Mexico megaproject will entail on a huge area of ​​land they acquired from the Hamui family.

Perfect Day Mexico is an exclusive development for tourists disembarking from the cruise line's ships at the Gran Costa Maya cruise port, in the southern tip of Quintana Roo, also owned by Royal Caribbean.

It will be similar to the Perfect Day CocoCay development that the cruise line already owns on a private island in the Bahamas, where they offer exclusive amenities ranging from water slides, international restaurants, infinity pools, adults-only areas, among others.

In addition to managing the Mahahual Community Center, they have announced that they will build, in partnership with the University of Quintana Roo , a hospitality and training center to increase employment and professional growth opportunities for the local population, and that they will also build and equip a residential space for up to 2,000 people for Perfect Day employees.

They will also open a new commercial village for the port's tenants, a new transportation center to improve conditions for carriers and guests who wish to explore Mahahual and the region, and will install a food store open to the public.

The land that the company has in Quintana Roo is 90 hectares , of which 45 are mangrove.

Following the announcement of this project in late 2024, opposition groups emerged claiming that it threatens biodiversity, the rights of local communities, and the ecological balance of this coastal region in southeastern Mexico.

They point out that the “right of access to and use of the sea, beaches and mangroves, local identity, way of life, as well as the survival of unique and threatened ecosystems that are home to endangered species such as sea turtles, manatees, mangroves and the second largest coral reef in the world” are at risk.