5 Things Tulum Is Doing To Restore Its Glory Days As A Top Destination

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A few years ago, Tulum was the ultimate bohemian beach escape. It was a quiet, off-the-grid paradise where people went to do yoga, eat amazing local food, and relax on untouched beaches. Then, it exploded in popularity. Over the last few years, travelers started complaining that Tulum had lost its magic, becoming way too crowded, insanely expensive, and difficult to navigate.

But the city has heard the complaints loud and clear. Right now, Tulum is putting in serious work to fix its image and win back the travelers who got tired of the hassle. Here are five major things Tulum is doing right now to restore its glory days as a top-tier vacation spot.

1. Opening Up Real Beach Access Points

One of the biggest frustrations for travelers over the past few years was that you simply could not get to the beach anymore without paying a massive cover charge. So many luxury beach clubs and resorts were built along the Hotel Zone that the actual sand was completely walled off. Unless you were willing to spend a huge minimum consumption fee on overpriced drinks, you were out of luck.

To fix this, Tulum has actively worked on creating and highlighting real public access points, largely tied to the new Jaguar National Park project. This massive protected area around the Mayan ruins is finally giving regular travelers a way to walk down to the stunning beaches without feeling like they have to empty their wallets just to look at the ocean.

2. Bypassing The Cancun Highway Entirely

For decades, going to Tulum meant flying into Cancun and then sitting in a crowded shuttle or a rental car for two hours down a single, heavily trafficked highway. It was a stressful way to start a vacation, especially if you hit construction or an accident.

That era is over. The opening of the new Tulum International Airport and the Maya Train routes have completely changed the game. Now, you can fly directly into Tulum from major US cities, grab your bags, and be at your hotel in a fraction of the time. This massive upgrade in infrastructure makes the destination feel like a true standalone vacation spot again, rather than a long day trip from Cancun.

3. Pushing For Transportation Transparency

Getting around Tulum has always been a massive headache. The taxi drivers basically controlled the entire town, charging eye-watering prices for a simple five-minute ride down the beach road.

Tulum is trying to force more transparency into the system with posted rates and better monitoring, though it is definitely still a work in progress. It is important to know that Uber and DiDi cars still do not exist in Tulum, so you are entirely at the mercy of the local cabs or pre-booked private transfers. While it is still pricey to get around, the arrival of the new airport shuttles and the ADO bus system gives travelers at least a few reliable, flat-rate options so they don’t feel entirely stuck.

4. A Massive Boost In Visible Security

When a town grows as fast as Tulum did, growing pains are inevitable, and safety became a real concern for a lot of international travelers. The government has flooded the area with a much heavier security presence, adding cameras, beach patrols, and monitoring stations along the tourist strips.

However, the results so far have been mixed. If you look at the real-time data on the Traveler Safety Index, Tulum still trails significantly behind its neighbors. Right now, both Cancun and Playa del Carmen are sitting at a very strong 92 on the index, while Tulum is lingering behind at a 78. It is definitely safer than it was during its roughest patch, but the numbers show they still have a lot of work to do to catch up to the rest of the Riviera Maya.

5. Launching A Dedicated “Fix-It” Council

The local government knows exactly what people are saying online, and they are not ignoring it. Just this week, the new Director General of Tourism, Haydee Hernández, alongside Mayor Diego Castañón, officially launched a brand new advisory council specifically designed to fix the town’s image.

This isn’t just a basic meeting. They are bringing together business owners, hotel operators, and local officials to figure out exactly how to improve customer service and clean up the town. They are even keeping the tourism offices open on Saturdays now just to help visitors on the weekends. Their main goal is to protect Tulum’s status as a “Magical Town” by creating strict new standards for how tourists are treated. It is a massive step toward making sure travelers actually want to come back.

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