Tulum has grown as a holiday destination faster than ever expected, and faster than the town can handle. The population has exploded from 500 to 35,000 in 40 years and the community, land, eco system and local infrastructure is struggling to support this. The tourism industry is poorly regulated and there are huge issues in the “dark side of Tulum” such as excessive plastic waste, air pollution from continuous road traffic as well as a sewage and water system which cannot handle the 2 million visitors a year.

The destination markets itself as “eco-friendly”, even though much of it is anything but eco-friendly. In fact most of the “eco” resorts are run by huge petrol fuelled generators which are hidden behind wooden walls. The sewage and waste systems from these hotels contaminate the local fresh water system. There is plastic everywhere – and I mean everywhere – with mountains of it piling up on the side of the street and in the bushes. When travelling down the main strip of Tulum you will see huge tankers bringing in water and supplies, as the local area cannot meet the needs of the huge footfall. And don’t even get me started on the ocean; Mexico has started to ban suncream in certain regions and many cenotes are enforcing compulsory showers prior to swimming in them. A lot of visitors enter the cenotes or ocean with toxic and damaging chemicals on their skin from suncreams, insect repellents and body lotions. These damage wildlife, for example the turtles in a nearby town of Akumel are suffering with tumours and a herpes-type virus due to stress as well as the toxic chemicals in suncream worn by swimmers.

As a result I encourage you to get a conscious traveller. Ultimately the vast majority of large tourist destinations, especially in developing countries, are unsustainable in nature. You can of course still visit them, just try and be a little more conscious when you get there: