Quintana Roo is grappling with what officials and local business leaders are calling a sargassum crisis in Quintana Roo this year. This crisis is already eroding summer revenue and placing jobs at risk. More than 45,000 tons of the brown algae have been collected between January and July. This compares with 17,700 tons for all of 2024. Scientists warn the worst may still be coming.
Massive landings of sargassum have triggered a ripple effect across tourism-dependent communities. Hotels in Cancún, Isla Mujeres, Puerto Morelos, Tulum, and Cozumel report cancellations. Fishermen in Mahahual have suspended operations due to the algae clogging gear and interfering with normal activity. Jesús Almaguer Salazar, former president of the Cancún Hotels Association, said occupancy has slipped from an average of 85% down to between 75% and 80%. This signals a slow and shaky start to peak season.
Sargassum Crisis Quintana Roo 2025
Scientists tracking the offshore sargassum belt say the flow has not eased. If current trends hold in the open ocean, the total arrival for the year could reach between 400,000 and 522,000 tons. This would make 2025 the most severe season on record for the state. That prospect amplifies pressure on the ad-hoc containment and removal strategy now in place.
The federal and state response centers on a large-scale clean-up and containment operation led by the Navy. Nearly 400 naval personnel have been deployed, supported by 11 coastal collection vessels. Additionally, one ocean-going ship capable of hauling up to 90 tons a day is involved, alongside 22 smaller boats, and 8,850 meters of floating barriers placed along key stretches of coastline. Municipal workers, Civil Protection teams, student interns, and staff from the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone have also been integrated into the effort. Beaches with the heaviest strandings include Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Cozumel, Puerto Morelos, and the Mahahual–Xcalak corridor. There, 390 tons were removed in six days without triggering major cancellations so far.
Environmental damage from the algae compounds the economic strain. When large volumes of sargassum accumulate, they form what conservationists call a “brown tide.” The mass blocks sunlight, raises water temperatures, and releases hydrogen sulfide as it decomposes. These stressors threaten coral reefs, seagrass beds, and coastal wildlife. The urgency is heightened by the collateral impact of the clean-up itself. Heavy machinery used to pull algae ashore damages dunes and accelerates beach erosion, according to environmental groups, including Greenpeace.
Local environmental collectives say the current response, while intensive, is still reactive and insufficient for the scale of the problem. Groups such as Siempre Unidas AC, Jaguar Wildlife Center, Centinelas del Agua, Red de Formadores Socioambientales, and MOCE Yax Cuxtal AC are calling for a national coordination mechanism. They request sustained funding, scientific monitoring, and the creation of proper final disposal sites for the collected biomass. “There is a need for long-term policies that prevent offshore accumulation and promote sustainable use of sargassum,” the collectives said. They warn that without structural change, the flow will continue to overwhelm containment efforts even as barriers and naval deployments expand.
The crisis exposes the tight coupling between environmental shocks and Quintana Roo’s tourism economy. Business owners and hoteliers are already feeling the pinch from lost bookings. Workers dependent on steady summer income face uncertainty. The suspension of fishing activity in affected zones adds another layer. This hits communities reliant on both the sea for livelihood and the tourist market for demand.
Officials emphasize collaboration among government entities, the private sector, and civil society as the backbone of the 2025 strategy. However, activists argue that collaboration without a unified, long-term policy framework will only delay the next cycle of disruption. They are pushing for a shift in approach: from emergency removal to prevention, valorization, and managed disposal. This approach includes exploring sustainable uses of sargassum that could provide an economic offset while reducing environmental harm.
Tourism operators are adjusting tactics on the fly. Some are highlighting beaches with successful containment. Others are offering flexible booking policies to retain visitors wary of arriving at visible algae on shorelines. Still, uncertainty lingers. The scale of the projected arrivals for the rest of the year means even well-coordinated clean-up work may not keep pace with fresh influxes. This is particularly true if the Atlantic belt continues its current advance.
The next few weeks will show whether containment can hold long enough for hotels and small businesses to salvage the peak season. It remains uncertain if broader economic fallout will deepen. For now, Quintana Roo’s tourism engine is running with sand in its gears. It is torn between immediate removal efforts and the need for longer-term system-level fixes to a problem that returns each year with growing intensity.
