Overview
- Semarnat announced on Tuesday, May 19 that it will not approve the Perfect Day México proposal after a federal review concluded the project posed unacceptable risks to local ecosystems.
- Federal inspectors from Profepa ordered a temporary total closure on January 30 after documenting unauthorized filling, demolition and compaction that affected roughly 17,000 square meters of mangrove and coastal habitat.
- Royal Caribbean has defended its submitted environmental impact assessment and said it included mitigation measures, but the company was reported to be evaluating whether to withdraw the proposal while Semarnat said its decision is independent of the company’s moves.
- Environmental groups and locals mobilized large online and on-the-ground campaigns that produced millions of petition signatures and they say they will maintain legal and social vigilance until a formal, published administrative resolution is issued.
- The rejected plan would have transformed about 90–107 hectares with 30-plus water slides, artificial beaches and capacity estimates near 20,000 daily visitors, a scale that experts say threatened reefs, mangroves, groundwater and the small fishing town’s infrastructure and livelihoods and that could reshape how future coastal developments are reviewed in Quintana Roo.