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Mexico is keeping its public beaches accessible to everyone

Oct 2, 2020

2 MIN READ

865927772
Beach; Blue; Cancun; Horizontal; Isla Mujeres; Island; Latin America; Mexico; No People; Outdoors; Photography; Sand; Shore; Turquoise; Turquoise Colored; Water;
Beach umbrellas line the beach of Isla Mujeres, Aerial view

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In a bid to ensure its shorelines remain accessible to everyone, the Mexican government this week voted to introduce hefty fines against hotels, restaurants, nightclubs or other coastal businesses who block public access to the country’s beaches.

In Mexico all beaches are public by law. Coastal property owners are not allowed to build any permanent structure within 20 meters of the high tide line or restrict public access to the beach. But that hasn't stopped some from violating the rules. It's an issue that has long angered locals. Complaints have been streaming in, particularly during the pandemic, about hotels or private beach club owners erecting barriers or hiring security guards to restrict the public from "exclusive" stretches of public beaches with claims that they are private, according to the Associated Press.

A pair of bicycles parked by a lifeguard station on a boardwalk by the beach in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico, with the blue Caribbean Sea beyond — Visit Playa del Carmen in shoulder season – especially November – for the right balance of great weather and relatively small crowds © Emma Shaw / Lonely Planet

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That unfair treatment could soon be a thing of the past as the Mexican government voted unanimously in favor of fining property owners who break this rule up to one million pesos or $47, 000. The bill was passed on Tuesday and will now go to the president for his approval. Businesses that repeatedly break the law could lose their permits to operate on any part of the beach.

In a statement, Labor Party senator Alejandra del Carmen León Gastélum said the hotel industry and condominiums regularly harass people who aren't their customers at the beaches, so it is “fundamental to end this abuse and flagrant fraud against the Constitution".

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Aerial view of the beach at Isla Blanca ©age fotostock /Alamy Stock Photo

While Acción Nacional senator María Guadalupe Saldaña Cisneros, said the new bill will stop the “unfair treatment” that prevents the use and enjoyment of Mexican beaches for all.

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Sasha Brady
Writer
Dublin
I'm a Dublin-based writer and digital editor for Lonely Planet, where I've been part of the team since 2018. Growing up in a family scattered around the world sparked a lifelong love of travel. There was always someone to visit somewhere. While my travels have taken me across Latin America, Australia and Europe, it's always the anticipation of the next adventure that excites me the most. My approach to travel is all about experiencing a place as locals do, delving into its culture through its m…

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