Mexico’s Supreme Court to hear challenges to changes for Royal Caribbean project
Mexico’s Supreme Court agreed on August 10 to hear three challenges to expedited amendments to the urban development plan in Mahahual, Quintana Roo. The changes facilitated the Perfect Day Mexico tourism project by cruise company Royal Caribbean, Mexico News Daily reports.
The US$1 billion project envisaged a private beach and water area spanning 230 acres for cruise ship passengers. In May, Mexico’s Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena said the project would not be approved. However, on May 19, Royal Caribbean withdrew its environmental application before the agency made a final decision, allowing the company to submit a revised proposal.
Amendments to the urban development plan
In December 2025, the municipality of Othón P. Blanco approved amendments to the urban development plan for an area of 107.67 hectares in less than three weeks. Lawyer Irma Morales of the organization Defendiendo el Derecho a un Medio Ambiente Sano said that such a procedure usually takes from eight months to a year.
On part of the site, the maximum permitted building height was increased from about four to 20 storeys. Royal Caribbean planned to build a more than 170-foot Jaguar’s Peak waterslide tower at the complex, which the company called the tallest in North and South America.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
According to Morales, the amendments were adopted without the studies and public participation required by law. Residents challenged them in federal court, but the cases were dismissed because the deadlines for filing lawsuits had expired. The lawyer maintains that residents did not know about the plan change while the period for going to court was running out.
Community concerns
The Supreme Court will not decide whether Royal Caribbean can build Perfect Day Mexico. However, its ruling could determine the rules under which communities in Mexico challenge land-use changes with potentially irreversible environmental consequences.
Activists from Salvemos Mahahual and Greenpeace Mexico oppose the project, citing risks to vegetation, groundwater, biodiversity, and the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. Greenpeace estimates that the complex could receive up to 21,000 visitors per day — about seven times Mahahual’s population of approximately 3,000 people.
On July 28, Royal Caribbean CEO Jason Liberty said during a conversation with investors that the company continues to work on developing the tourism destination in Mahahual. According to him, talks with authorities and community representatives will affect the previously planned timeline.
