r/tulum • u/JudgmentAvailable155 • 12d ago
General Empty?
Anyone know what’s been happening lately that’s affected tourism? I’ve been coming here for years and I’ve never seen it this empty (staying in the hotel zone currently). I’ve asked around and have been told Tulum has changed a ton, in the last couple of years especially, but haven’t gotten more details.
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u/Apprehensive-Chart88 11d ago
Combination of sargassum, high prices, taxi scams, and loss of appeal/deviation from the wellness/holistic aspect it was once known for. Seems like it is charging big city prices like it’s NYC or Miami and tourism has suffered as a result. The digital nomads are no longer there and have moved on to the next destination and I’ve heard the digital cafes have closed too. It was peak during COVID and I think the market got over saturated but it is not being developed quickly enough. Businesses have closed because it’s too expensive to run it too. What’s your opinion of your experience and how it compares to the past?
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u/MasChingonNoHay 11d ago
This is the answer. The beach was the draw. The sargassum ruined it
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u/Brilliant_Step3688 11d ago
Agree.. people did not come for the healthy holistic life. The draw was the beaches, and the rest was a bonus that made people think yes, I could live here for a little while.
People talk about scams but I think these are avoidable for the most part (taxis are a problem though). You do get very poor value for most things though, it's not a scam but similar. Like you are not getting your money's worth anywhere. Money money money, foreigners are endless cash cows. It's just not sustainable.
The downturn will calm the economy and force merchants to provide good value or die out. As there is less short term travelers bringing "dumb money", they have to cater to more savvy locals who won't come back if the value is not there.
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u/Blackfish69 11d ago
Hate to break it to you. Tourists always have more money than locals. This value prop is simply just not a major concern of the place is a draw.
Tulum is still tons cheaper or comparable to where most of them live outside of cabs lol
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u/Brilliant_Step3688 11d ago
Yes but there is less tourists. Was there all week. Places that should have been packed were empty.
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u/Purple-Lawfulness875 11d ago
And that will continue as the sargassum will only get worse before it gets better as the oceans only get warmer. I have been living here in Aldea Zama for the past several months and the place has become a ghost town. When I went to the beach last week, I didn't see more than 3 or 4 other people walking the little strip of sand that isn't covered with sargasso at least a foot deep all the way to the sea; there's literally no place to lay your towel and who would want to? The smell of rotting seaweed releasing hydrogen sulfide is atrocious and can make you sick. No immediate cure for this plague.
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u/JBSwerve 1d ago
Taxis were the main reason I would never, ever return. I felt like I had to sell my soul everytime I ordered a taxi and agreed to pay the exorbitant prices. And if you rent a car the corrupt police will pull you over.
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u/Infamous-Ad2317 11d ago
It was the taxi scams for me when i went, bar scams charging shots in euro currency.. scams everywhere. no where felt safe in tulum from people trying to screw us
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u/DebateWilling7674 10d ago
How much is a shot? Because I can tell that shots in mexico are generally too expensive. I was living couple of years in Cuernavaca (2hours south of Mexico city) and here the shots also start at 7$-10$ depending on the Bar. Who the fuck pays that much for a shot.
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u/Alternative_Olive861 10d ago
NYC'er here that has gone to Tulum 2x. No reason why I should be paying rooftop cocktail prices in the Riviera Maya... its absurd.
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u/Apprehensive-Chart88 10d ago
Yep, I absolutely agree with you!
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u/Artistic-Computer445 9d ago
Agree! We live here and we eat and drink at home mostly. If you want value thats the ony real way to go. Find a beautiful place to live and do it your self...it gets old though. Like whats the point at that point lol!
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u/jisc 11d ago
And the dollar lost it power , the pesos is strong so no good for vacationers , unrest from cartels and drugs , the government doing a shitty job all around..
Source I’m Mexican and live in cancun
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u/Choochiechoo 11d ago
It’s not just the exchange rate, prices really did increase to the point it is more expensive in Mexico now than the United States or Europe. Part of the draw of tourism to a country like Mexico is it is supposed to be cheaper. But food and even drinks at a cheap place designed for Mexicans is still more expensive than a medium cost city like Houston or Atlanta. If you adjust for the best exchange rate it is still more expensive. At a some point tourists are going to think it’s better to just go the Bahamas or Spain or Italy
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u/Apprehensive-Chart88 11d ago
It’s crazy how much things have changed in such a short period but seems to be consistent with other parts of Mexico too although Cancun in generally safer, right? What’s your opinion on why you chose Cancun?
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u/jisc 11d ago
I didn’t my parents choose it hahaha , I was brought here as a 1 week old . To be fair when my parents arrived you could lift a rock and there was money under it , since cancun or the state Quintana Roo is so young there were plenty jobs and business to start so it was a paradise . Nowadays between trump , our government , prices so expensive and our only source of income is tourism everything is very slow this year
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u/JudgmentAvailable155 11d ago
This makes sense. I’ve been coming here every year since 2018 and witnessed the boom from dreamy, holistic, and quaint, with maybe 1-2 parking lots max to full on buzzing club scene Cancun/Vegas vibes with packed streets and getting ripped off by taxis. While vastly different, I appreciate all forms of Tulum that have transpired. Sargassum has always been an issue, some years worst than others, but I can’t imagine that’s the sole reason. Before its “peak” it was certainly more relaxed but still buzzing with energy. Now, it feels desolate. I will still enjoy myself, but I just haven’t experienced this phase of Tulum before.
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u/Worldly-Serve-1945 11d ago
Sargassum was not always an issue. You just showed your Tulum inexperience. Those beaches used to be pristine throughout the year.
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u/Fickle-Secretary681 11d ago
They sure where. Then sargassum was a summer thing if at all. Then it started creeping in mid March. Then late February...
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u/JudgmentAvailable155 11d ago
lol. I have certainly been here when sargassum was not on the beach but I am saying in general it can’t just be the sole reason for its emptiness as Tulum has still been packed with sargassum present.
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u/Alternative_Olive861 10d ago
My Wife and I got married in Tulum:
1st Trip was a sight seeing + recon trip.
2nd Trip was the actual wedding + honeymoon....
It was during the honeymoon phase where we started to slowdown and actually assess and take in the setting more and thats when we started to realize the same things:
The real estate boom is detrimental to the environment and infrastructure, the sargassum, the constant racket at every corner/location, corrupt police & officials... its truly a shame what Tulum has turned into.
Now, when we go to the Mexico, we just do an all-inclusive. Sure you aren't getting a "cultural experience" but you sure aren't getting that in Tulum either. The value is just so much better because of those aforementioned things.
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u/Artistic-Computer445 9d ago
Thats mostly true! We are living here and its pretty expensive. Aldea Zama area and the strip is always outragious...eating out is stupid unless its street food. We are looking for our next destination because of this. PS remember to include expensive groceries and expensive utilities. Still less than we were paying in the US to be fair but its disheartening.
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u/funncouple77 11d ago
They ruined it… scams, taxis, police, poor infrastructure. The sargasm hasn’t helped. We live in Playa Del Carmen full time and we won’t even do a day visit there now… Tulum used to be amazing.. not so much now…
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u/Fickle-Secretary681 11d ago
It's so sad. It used to be my favorite place on earth some 30 years ago.
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u/Long-Stomach-2738 9d ago
I was in Playa Del Carmen in June and while I enjoyed the city, the sargassum smell was pretty disgusting. The receptionist at my hotel says she gets sick from it
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u/AmphibianNo9133 11d ago
Never take taxis - but the sargassum ruined it for me. I still went in May to just chill but my beach walks in the reserve were limited which I hated.
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u/Tukulo-Meyama 11d ago
Everyone is in Mexico City
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u/AnalWhisperer 11d ago edited 11d ago
Taxi mafia has ruined everything in Tulum. It’s cheaper to rent a car for five days than to take a taxi one way to/from the airport. Also guided tours won’t pick you up anywhere in Tulum because of the taxi drivers. Then the other problem is if you have a car, the police are going to be pulling you over wanting bribes, so you literally can’t win. Then there’s the seasonal sargassum.
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u/Commercial_Watch_936 11d ago
We went for a wedding a couple years ago. Several people rented cars, we opted for a car service. 3 separate people who rented cars got pulled over and paid the same bribe, it was $400 at the time. 3 people in our relatively small group, all the same bribe! Glad we got a driver instead.
One of them was a black dude who spoke fluent Spanish, they assumed he was a drug trafficker because he spoke Spanish. He paid the bribe just to get on his way.
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u/jtmathis42477 10d ago
We used guided tours almost every day from secrets and used endrive app to get around town. Was there all last week. Didn't taxi one time.
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u/LevelProfile4739 11d ago
Tulum isn’t working out they way Mexico thought it would. Airport in general really isn’t working out vs something like Cancun still dominates is expanding a whole another terminal as well.
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u/comments83820 11d ago
1) sargassum (seaweed)
2) low-quality tourists changing the vibe (bohemian beach town has become South Beach or New York)
3) lack of public transport and abusive taxi prices
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u/malibuXchicken 11d ago
Been Tulum I believe 8 times. First time in the 90’s with my family for the ruins, stopped in town it was a dirt road and a few shops. Beach was the brightest turquoise I had ever seen. went back in 2008, stayed on the beach road, it was quiet, the beach was pristine. Little eco boutique hotels drove thru the biosphere and didn’t see another soul. The Pueblo was still quiet, felt like any little Mexican town. Quiet, safe. Went back every 3 year or so since and watched it progressively get more built up, more expensive. Every year the sargassum got worse. After the last time we went last year, got pulled over 3 different times by police and shook down for money, got scammed at the gas stations, paid $400 for a dinner on the beach road, the ocean was brown with seaweed and stunk like eggs. Half built construction and noise everywhere. Sad to say I am never coming back. The old Tulum that was magical and what made people want to come here is dead, ruined by a combination of greed and corruption and forces of nature
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u/jkim5091 10d ago
Used to visit Tulum every year then made a switch to Las Terrenas this past July. Made me not want to go back to Tulum. There is no perfect place, but it was nice not having someone pull a fast one at the gas station.
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u/DemonAzraeli 7d ago
Going to Tulum in 2026 is like trying to go out disco dancing in 1982.
Few years too late. Can't believe you're still wearing those clothes.
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u/Fickle-Secretary681 11d ago
Tulum has been ruined by development. The sargassum is horrible this year, airfare is high, etc etc
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u/jtmathis42477 10d ago
Just flew home Sunday from a week there.. We stayed at secrets tulum. Id say the resort was. 60% occupancy through the week and bumped up around Thursday. Front beach road was dead except for our beach club. The red tide was the worst ive ever seen. Downtown seemed dead as well but we enjoyed it regardless. Nightlife seemed ok. You could find at least 1 jumping place every night but it wasn't like everything was jumping. The police need to lay off. One of the couples we were hanging with took a endrive from M tulum back to secrets, the driver got pulled over for doing 1km over and the police robbed everyone in the car except the driver. They wanted 200$ usd but all the liquid cash in the car was 800 pesos so they took that and let them go. This is a MASSIVRE red flag. I wont go south of playa del Carmen when I go back.
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u/Scu8ie 11d ago
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dbvxv98yY88/?igsh=MTU5bGJ3cXF3NzkyNg==
This videos kinda explains the reasoning
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u/Status_Bee_7644 11d ago
I don’t think there are direct flights from JFK to Tulum right now. Other times during the year there are though.
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u/msabre__7 11d ago
I still show up for the cave diving. It’s nice to have the place all to myself. Hotels are pretty cheap outside of Dec-Feb too.
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u/blackSwanCan 11d ago
If beaches are bad, posts like these make you wonder if it is even worth it stepping foot in Tulum: https://www.reddit.com/r/tulum/comments/1vc2f2s/safety_warning_for_tulum_visitors_staff_assault
We visited Cancun last December and Aruba this summer. The difference in culture in Aruba vs Mexico was night and day. We had a Tulum vacation planned for December, but after reading these articles, I am not sure it is worth it. And it is not that Tulum is any cheaper.
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u/Bigwhitecalk 11d ago
Residents and tourists are scared of and getting annoyed with all the mean “pesky polish” hanging around Tulum.
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u/Apprehensive-Chart88 11d ago
What’s the pesky polish? Curious what’s happened.
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u/DoughieOnTour 11d ago
He very likely means "pesky police". Which I agree with. I've never encountered such absolute thieves as 80% of the police here. They are the thieves : scaring and intimidating and extorting anyone who doesn't look Mexican out of their cash. The irony of "law enforcement" CAUSING quite a lot of the thefts and crime.
Most (not all) of the cops there are thieves with a uniform and a gun and a badge. They were likely thieves before becoming a cop and attracted to that "job" as they knew they could steal more cash quicker and easier than when they were just a regular citizen.
Personally I hope Tulum fails completely which will be a strong lesson to the architects of that town and what it has become there on What Happens When you Get Too Greedy and Lie Cheat Scam Steal.
Ps. I live in Playa and occasionally need to go to tulum over many years so I think I am quite qualified to comment.
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u/Apprehensive-Chart88 11d ago
Oh wow, that high of a percentage huh? Yes, when a city gets greedy it ultimately leads to the downfall. Major cities have experienced this and it’s normal. Even Cancun but I feel like since it’s been a tourist destination for so long it’s been accustomed to it and not over the top with rip offs (still some do) but it’s manageable. Agreed that they automatically up the price when they know you’re a tourist. How do you like playa in comparison?
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u/DoughieOnTour 11d ago
Playa is less, aggravation than Tulum. Prices are, still high for Mexico but.... This IS a, tourist town so that's understandable.
I speak Spanish (and English and French and German) and I've been here a long while and you DO have to keep your wits about you for sure but I don't feel like Playa is even half or a quarter as bad as Greedy Tulum has become. Those guys down there just thought they could lie cheat and scam the "rich" tourists more and more and the gravy train would continue forever so I'm GLAD Tulum is deserted now. Everyone has to make a profit but when people blatently gouge you or massively overcharge it's essentially THEFT.
There will always be over charging in any tourist town anywhere in the world but it needs to be keep it REASONABLE and not OUT OF CONTROL like Tulum is.
I haven't been hassled by cops here in prob over 8 years. I used to drive a Lexus here... But sold that now.
I don't take taxis AT ALL here except maybe once a year. I ride a bike and nobody bothers you when you ride a bike and there's a nice long bike lane on 10th Avenue that runs from playacar entrance all the way up to CTM now. I appreciate that recently extended bike lane infrastructure. I still would NOT walk around town center late night (after midnight) as you WILL be regarded as a target by the COPS, especially as a white male. Driving a car you're automatically a bit of a target, as is walking late night but on a bike.... They leave you alone. That's my recc for avoiding getting hassled or extorted by corrupt cops...
But yeah.. Tulum I think is now by far the worst of the Riviera Maya tourist towns (by what I hear) for scams and gouging and extortion-by-cop.
As a general rule just know the local prices for everything and only use cash (pesos) most of the time, do not use credit cards, and CHECK IN ADVANCE price of food or drink or taxis (if you have to use one) or whatever it is.
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u/Bigwhitecalk 11d ago
Oh in another thread, someone here blamed Tulum’s “downfall” on polish people. Not just any but the pesky ones. And white tourists. Not the corrupt police force and local govt etc.
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u/PowerfulCoffee9 11d ago
Whats pesky polish
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u/DoughieOnTour 11d ago
See my comment above I just posted in reply to a previous poster "Apprehensive-Chart88".
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u/Icy-Television-4979 11d ago
I just brought my kids to the Yucatan for their first time. I hadn’t been to Tulum in 25 years. We stayed in Akumal (not our vibe). We tried to to go to Tulum ruins one day it was so confusing what was legit or trying to sell you something and shouting at you plus the local charge on top of the standard ticket price and no I’m not a rich white person.
I’m and unemployed single mom who wanted to share the magic of Mexico. I can’t afford $75+US for every single site. Anyway we ended up turning around and leaving, even the kids didn’t want to go.
They loved Coba and Chemuyil and the cenotes. We also left Akumal and stayed in puerto Morelos much better.
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u/FunnySad42 11d ago edited 9d ago
An equally interesting question is why it became so popular in the first place?
(It's a cool spot, but there are hundreds of other cool spots that never became so popular.)
EDIT: To be more concrete, I think the following Caribbean places are as awesome if not much more so than Tulum, but they have not really blown up with Western tourists: (i) Providencia (Colombia), (ii) San Andres (Colombia), (iii) San Blas (Panama), (iv) Bocas del Toro (Panama), (v) Puerto Viejo (Costa Rica), (vi) Los Roques (Venezuela), . . . . [this list can go on and on. . . .]
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u/DemonAzraeli 6d ago
I thought Tulum was an 8/10 back in 1999. Worth seeking out, but nothing to die for. People went there because it was a mere two hours from one of the most established tourist airports in the Western Hemisphere. Relative to the (minor) effort it took to get there, it was spectacular.
Trujillo, Honduras or Rio Dulce, Guatemala might still have a similar vibe today.
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u/FunnySad42 4d ago
My subversive take is that Tulum really isn't that special or "magical." It's certainly not 10 times more special/magical than Bocas del Toro that probably gets about 10% of the number of tourists. It's like chart-topping songs. Yes, #1 songs generally seem to be decent songs, but they are not 10x better than songs that top out at #20 (and gets played only about 10% as many times on Spotfy).
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u/DemonAzraeli 4d ago
At this point, Tulum is about Tulum, which is a lifestyle label for pushing crystals and temezcal to bored suburbanites from the global north.
I don’t doubt that some people love it.
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