Grupo Xcaret this week announced a US $700 million investment to expand and renovate its hotel near Playa del Carmen in the state of Quintana Roo, bringing to US $1.7 million the new investment announcements made in the Caribbean state this month.
The announcement was made on Thursday in conjunction with the Tourism Ministry (Sectur) during the Cancún Travel Mart, according to the newspaper La Jornada.
Grupo Xcaret executives said the investment aims to transform the Hotel Xcaret México and its eco-tourism park by creating "a strong multi-generational environment that will provide extraordinary experiences for visitors of all ages."
The Hotel Xcaret already boasts more than 50 natural and cultural attractions, including an aviary, a butterfly pavilion and the Coral Reef Aquarium.
On its website, Grupo Xcaret states its management "is based on a model that ensures the conservation, dissemination and development of natural, socio-cultural and economic heritage for future generations."
New infrastructure and new construction will increase the Xcaret complex's capacity to 1,800 rooms in 10 different buildings. When the renovation is completed next year, the hotel will have 16 swimming pools. Additionally, the project is expected to create at least 1,600 new jobs.
Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama has actively wooed investors since taking office in 2022, according to El Heraldo Quintana Roo, and the Grupo Xcaret project is just the latest of several major investment announcements.
On Oct. 9, Royal Caribbean revealed it will invest US $600 billion to redesign the Costa Maya cruise ship port dock near the formerly sleepy fishing village of Mahahual. Sectur reported that the destination was second only to Cozumel in the number of cruise ship tourists in Mexico during the first quarter of 2024.
On Oct. 10, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company announced it would be returning to Cancún after a two-year absence, formalizing a US $400 million investment to build a hotel and residential suites in Punta Nizuc, an exclusive area in southern Cancún, located on the Nichupté Lagoon.
Speaking at the Travel Mart on Thursday, Tourism Minister Josefina Rodríguez Zamora said the Grupo Xcaret investment -- describing it as the largest ever in the sector -- reflects confidence in the federal government, but especially in the state of Quintana Roo.