Last Updated
For many visitors, the rustic lifestyle of Holbox Island is a throwback to the class Mexican beach towns. It’s a quality that many tourists love about visiting the laidback beach town.
Until it rains.
One of the things tourists ultimately dislike most about Holbox Island is walking around in the beach town when it rains. The lack of sidewalks turns a common walk around town into a wet, sandy mess.
However, all of that will soon be changing with an announcement from the City Council of Lázaro Cárdenas.
Sidewalks and Gutters
The city council recently approved a $3.8 million peso investment (about $211,000) to install 782 linear meters of sidewalks and gutters on Holbox Island.
The sidewalks and gutters will improve the infrastructure of the island to accommodate tourist needs and prevent injuries from visitors having to walk in the slick mud and sand.
It will also help prevent flooding concerns on the island, especially during the rainy tropical season.
@onekyndworld Holbox had a lot more character than expected. 11/10 would still recommend #travelfail #travelreality #expectationvreality #mexicotravel #holboxmexico #holboxisland #traveltok ♬ original sound
Plans are to complete the installation before the peak of the hurricane season in the next couple of months.
Tourist Infrastructure on Holbox
Holbox Municipal President Emir Bellos Tun expressed concern that the work on the sidewalks and gutters be fast-tracked to be completed quickly because of the increase in tourist traffic to the island and the impending hurricane season.
Even without a hurricane hitting Holbox, simple tropical storms or heavy rain systems flood the town and its white sand streets.
Top 5 Travel Insurance Plans For 2023 Starting At $10 Per Week
Easily Earn Points For Free Travel
The concern was that the city council continuing to ignore the issue would give tourists a bad impression of the island beach destination during a period of strong tourist interest in the area.
While tourists love the low key relaxed island atmosphere of Holbox, they also look for basic services to make their vacations comfortable. The impact of the common tropical downpours was ruining the natural beauty experience for visitors.
Issues With Water and Electricity
Other infrastructure issues are also impacting the visitor experience on Holbox Island. For example, recently, there have been issues on the island related to basic needs for tourism, such as water and electricity.
According to a recent report, nearly half of the restaurants, bars and boutique hotels on the island have been forced to close temporarily due to the lack of basic tourist infrastructure on the island of about 2,000 residents.
With a small number of hotels for visitors to the island, Holbox typically runs near full capacity in its boutique properties. Visitors report struggles to find hotels that are open with available water and power for their vacation needs.
Additionally, the tourist destination of Punta Cocos has experienced a number of lengthy blackouts without electricity for visitors.
Travel Trends Point To Holbox
Travel trends are showing that international tourists are primarily looking for three key things in a vacation destination – wellness, nature and sustainability.
All three of these trends are part of a vacation on Holbox. This puts it ahead of many destinations in Mexico for travelers.
Until this year, Holbox was considered off the beaten path compared with nearby destinations like Cancun and Merida.
Part of this has been by choice of the local government and residents of Holbox.
However, in order for the community to grow, reliable infrastructure upgrades are needed to complement the wellness, sustainability and nature on the island.
What it Means For Visitors
The city council stepping in to help improve the overall infrastructure of Holbox Island is a good sign for tourism and for travelers.
Plan Your Next Cancun Vacation:
Traveler Alert: Don’t Forget Travel Insurance For Your Next Trip!
Choose From Thousands of Cancun and Riviera Maya Hotels, Resorts and Hostels with Free Cancellation On Most Properties
↓ Join the community ↓
The Cancun Sun Community FB group has all the latest travel news, conversations and tourism Q&A’s for the Mexican Caribbean
Subscribe to our Latest Posts
Enter your email address to subscribe to The Cancun Sun’s latest breaking news affecting travelers, straight to your inbox.