Hotel Zone (Cancún)

Hotel Zone
City District
Hotel Zone skyline
Coordinates: 21°08′04″N 86°44′46″W / 21.13444°N 86.74611°W / 21.13444; -86.74611
Country Mexico
State Quintana Roo
Municipality Benito Juárez
CityCancún
District createdSeptember 1974

The Hotel Zone (Spanish: Zona Hotelera) is a tourist district and strip of land on the coast of Cancún consisting of resorts, beaches, shops, and restaurants designated specifically for tourists.[1]

History

The first hotel opened in Cancún in September 1974.[2][3] It has since grown to be the most popular vacation and tourist district in Mexico.[4][5][6] In 2025, 300 million pesos were set aside to focus on maintenance in the area in order to "enhance the experience for tourists".[7][8] In 2024, there were over 24 million tourists that year.[9]

The Hotel Zone has become synonymous with the "tourist part" of Cancún and contains many well known beaches such as Playa Tortugas and Dolphins Beach.[10] This area has boosted the economy of Cancún and created many job opportunities for natives of the city. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism drastically decreased and greatly hurt the local economy.[11] There has also been a sharp decline in international tourists since 2024, with a 14% drop between July and August compared to the previous year.[12] In 2025, spring break hit a record high, reversing the effects of the previous years.[13]

Layout

There are over 190 hotels in the Hotel Zone and over 35,000 hotel rooms in total.[14] The entire area is connected by Kukulcan Boulevard (Spanish: Boulevard Kukulcán) and is the primary road in Cancún, running from downtown to the airport.[15] There are buses that specifically serve the Hotel Zone and drop tourists off at stops along the boulevard. The entire district is built on a barrier island formed by the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System that connects to the mainland Yucatán Peninsula and is just over 22 kilometers (14 miles) long.[16]

Some notable tourist attractions and resorts include the Punta Cancun Lighthouse, the El Rey archaeological site, the Melody Maker hotel, the Golden Parnassus Resort, and the Mayan Museum of Cancún. The Hotel Zone has similarities to the nearby Riviera Maya, which is also a resort district to the south and includes Playa del Carmen and Cozumel.

  • Hotel Zone grouping of resorts
  • Aerial view of resorts
  • Hotel Zone in 1985
  • Skyline during storm
  • Balcony view
  • Dolphins Beach
  • Beach with resort in the background
  • Kukulcan Boulevard

See also

References

  1. ^ "Everything You Need to Know About The Cancun Hotel Zone". Excellence Resorts. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  2. ^ "How Cancún Grew into a Major Resort". earthobservatory.nasa.gov. January 24, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  3. ^ "The Ultimate Guide To Hotels In Cancun And Riviera Maya". www.odigootravel.com. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  4. ^ Vassallo-Oby, Christine (2010). "Circulation and Consumption: Transnational Mass Tourism in Cancun, Mexico". University at Albany, SUNY. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  5. ^ Vogelsang, Beke (September 7, 2021). "Cooperation Between Learning Venues and its Limits: The Hotel Industry in Cancún (Mexico)". University of Cologne. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  6. ^ Rodríguez Beltrán, Jesús Gerardo (December 10, 2021). "Cancun Tourism Cluster, Q. Roo, México Country Competitiveness Project" (PDF). Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  7. ^ "Millions earmarked for 2025 Cancun Hotel Zone maintenance". Riviera Maya News. December 9, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  8. ^ "Cancun's Hotel Zone to Receive Major Funding for Upgrades in 2025". December 10, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  9. ^ "Cancun Tourism Statistics - How Many Tourists Visit?". Road Genius. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  10. ^ "Cancun, Mexico - Beyond The Hotel Zone". Marginal Boundaries. June 27, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  11. ^ Jun, Hanah. "Effects of COVID-19 in the Yucatán Peninsula". Milken Scholars. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  12. ^ "Cancun's Troubles Go Beyond Mexico's Super Peso". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  13. ^ Sun, The Cancun (March 20, 2025). "Cancun Anticipates Record-Breaking Easter Break Tourism: Full Hotels & Packed Beaches". Cancun Sun. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  14. ^ "Cancun Hotels Information". www.govisitcancun.com. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  15. ^ "Boulevard Kukulcan | Casago Cancun". Casago. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  16. ^ Joaquin (April 24, 2021). "Cancun Hotel Zone - Get to know Cancun's Hotel Zone". Traveling By. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
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