A single weekend can shift a destination’s numbers. In the Riviera Maya, some hotels say the latest spike of nationwide violence is already showing up in booking ledgers. The figure—20% of room reservations for the next vacation period—keeps coming up in Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Officials insist tourism operations remain normal, and business leaders dispute the scale of the impact. The timing matters ahead of peak weeks. What is confirmed, what is contested, and what comes next?
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Hotels across the Riviera Maya are reporting more reservation cancellations after violence on Sunday, February 22. Valeria Rindertsma heads the Riviera Maya chapter of Amexme, a businesswomen’s association. She said about 20% of hotel room reservations for the next vacation period were canceled. She linked the drop to images and claims that spread quickly online. She said the episode damaged Mexico’s image for some future visitors. Rindertsma framed the number as an early snapshot, not a final count. She said the hotel sector is already trying to reverse the trend. Some local business leaders say they are not seeing cancellations. They also say some widely shared material did not come from the coast. The estimate points to the next holiday window, when demand often rises. That timing matters for expats hosting visitors or planning domestic travel. For now, there is no single public tally that covers all properties and channels.
Cancellations and the next travel window
Rindertsma did not specify which dates were counted in the 20% estimate. In Mexico, the next major break is often Semana Santa, which in 2026 falls in late March and early April. Spring Break travel from the United States and Canada also overlaps that window. Hotels in Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and the wider corridor usually see bookings months ahead. When a security story trends, cancellations can appear first in online channels. Those cancellations can also be offset by rebookings and shorter stays. Some operators say they are adjusting messaging to reassure guests and partners. Others say their pipelines remain stable and show no abnormal churn. The mixed picture makes it hard to translate a percentage into a destination-wide forecast. It also complicates planning for staffing, transport, and excursions. Tourism businesses entered 2026 expecting extra attention ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The sector now faces a test of whether confidence returns before peak weeks.
What happened on Sunday in Quintana Roo
On Sunday, February 22, published reports described coordinated arson attacks and vehicle fires in parts of Quintana Roo. In Tulum, an Oxxo store in La Veleta was set on fire, and another was targeted. In Playa del Carmen, two vehicles were burned at the Centro Maya shopping area. Another vehicle was reported burned on Federal Highway 307 near the Kaan Luum area. Additional vehicle fires were reported on the Cancún–Leona Vicario road, prompting a temporary closure. Authorities increased checks on routes into Cancún and near the airport access road. At the time, officials and media reports said there were no deaths, and injuries were not reported. Damage was described as material, including burned cars and affected storefronts. Cozumel also reported a supermarket fire that local protection officials attributed to an electrical fault. By February 23 and 24, officials and business groups said services were operating normally. A US Mission alert on February 23 also said conditions had returned to normal in Quintana Roo.
Security response and extortion reporting
State authorities said the incidents followed a federal security operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco. Governor Mara Lezama said more than 10,000 security personnel were deployed across Quintana Roo. She said the state’s four international airports continued operating, with no cancellations. She attributed reported delays to weather in the United States, not security. She also said ADO bus terminals and the Tren Maya were running normally. Officials urged residents to follow official updates and avoid unverified posts. That messaging targets reputational fallout as much as security. Rindertsma said security coordination has improved in the Riviera Maya and that extortion reports have declined. She credited joint work between authorities and business groups, including anti-extortion efforts. She also stressed that reporting is central to investigations. For expats, the immediate risk is not only physical safety. It is also how fast cancellations spread across family travel plans. The next few weeks will show whether cancellations persist into March.
With information from Noticaribe, Coordinación General de Comunicación de Quintana Roo, La Jornada Maya, OSAC
