Mexican authorities have rejected a major water park development proposed by cruise giant Royal Caribbean for Mexico’s Caribbean coast, Environment Minister Alicia Barcena confirmed on Tuesday. The decision follows significant opposition from local residents and environmental groups concerned about the project’s potential ecological impact.
The refusal of the ambitious tourism venture highlights a growing resistance to large-scale developments in Mexico’s sensitive coastal regions. “It is not going to be approved,” Ms Barcena told a press conference, adding that the company was also in the process of withdrawing its plans.
Royal Caribbean expressed regret over the outcome but affirmed its respect for Mexico’s environmental authorities. The company stated it remains optimistic about future investment opportunities in Mexico and intends to engage with stakeholders in the coming weeks to discuss local job creation and environmental infrastructure.
Dubbed “Perfect Day Mexico,” the project was slated to open in autumn 2027 in Mahahual, a coastal town situated near a vital coral reef. It was marketed as the “biggest, baddest, boldest destination,” promising an array of beach clubs, pools, bars, and more than 30 waterslides.
Mahahual mapped:
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum echoed the environmental concerns during her daily morning press conference on Monday.
“We must not do anything that affects that area, which has a very important ecological balance, and is particularly important for the reefs,” Sheinbaum said.
Royal Caribbean, which offers a number of cruise options in Mexico and the Caribbean, saw Perfect Day Mexico as part of its strategy to expand investments in land-based destinations.
Mahahual, home to fewer than 3,000 people, is known for its clear, warm waters and its proximity to the Mesoamerican Reef, the largest reef in the Western Hemisphere, which attracts scuba divers to see its array of fish, coral and other marine life.
Turtles form nests along the coast, which gives way to dense mangrove forests and tropical jungle that are home to jaguars.
Environmental group Greenpeace warned that the region was at a “crucial juncture,” noting that the project and its link to expanded cruise tourism could cause significant environmental consequences.
Public opposition also surged online. A Change.org petition demanding the project be halted, launched in July 2025, in recent days reached more than 4 million signatures.
Organizers of the petition say the planned 90-hectare (222-acre) water park would be built on protected mangroves, threatening the local way of life, community access to beaches and the survival of marine life. The area is near the route of the Mayan Train, a government project meant to bring development to Indigenous Maya communities beyond the crowded beaches of Cancun, but that local groups and environmentalists have criticized.
