Air Canada will begin service to Tulum in May, while JetBlue Airways and Panama's Copa Airlines will begin service in June.
“Imagine taking a mid-morning flight from the U.S. and by lunchtime you're drinking margaritas on a beautiful beach,” says Laura Diver, marketing manager for Colibri Boutique Hotels, which manages several properties in Tulum. Please,” he said.
Tulum Airport, like many large infrastructure projects recently opened and championed by Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador, remains a work in progress.
Construction continues even though some domestic flights will start in December. Canaan Tulum Resort reservations manager Carla Cayetano said workers were still “finishing the details” of the terminal and access road. Nevertheless, some of the resort's guests have already arrived there rather than in Cancun, she said.
Ground transportation options are limited and expensive. David Ortiz Mena, president of the Tulum Hotel Association, highlighted this as a “great concern” in a December statement. Discussions with airports and government authorities over lower land transport taxes were still ongoing as of mid-March.
Demonstrators also blocked the access road to the airport and the adjacent Tremmaya train station over land rights disputes.
These issues are similar to those that have plagued Tranmaya since it opened in December. The ambitious and controversial 947-mile passenger rail ring promoted by Mexico's president has a limited number of trains and frequent delays. The reservation system is unreliable. Many of the tracks that will eventually circumnavigate the Yucatan Peninsula are not yet open.
However, Tulum Airport, like Tremaya Airport, is widely expected to significantly improve access to the Mayan Riviera once the issues are resolved.
The Mayan Riviera is one of the most popular beaches in Mexico. It stretches from the all-inclusive resort of Playa del Carmen north to chic Tulum, with its beachside Mayan ruins and south.
Last year, Riviera Maya had the highest number of vacant hotel rooms and occupancy in the country, surpassing nearby Cancun and Los Cabos on the Pacific Coast, according to data from Mexico's tourism secretary.
Cancun Airport is the main gateway for visitors to the region. In fact, last year the airport was the main gateway for all foreign tourists visiting Mexico, and the most popular among American tourists. Nearly 4.8 million American tourists visited Mexico last year, or more than one-third of all American visitors to the country, according to Mexico's tourism secretary.
That's why airlines are eager to fly to Tulum, even if they have some initial problems. The new airport offers travelers an alternative to the crowded Cancun Airport.
“We're very excited about some things [travel] said Amy Martin, vice president of North American network planning for Delta Air Lines.
