New Tulum Airport and Train From Cancun Will Connect Tourism Hotspots

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The popularity of Tulum continues to skyrocket and is often being referred to as the next Bali. As it stands now, the only way to get to Tulum is to arrive at the Cancun International Airport and take the hour and a half drive south. Traveling to Tulum is about to become a whole lot easier as construction on its new airport will be completed by 2023. In addition, the new Maya Train that runs between the Cancun airport and Tulum is expected to be completed within the year.

Tulum International Airport To Open In 2023

The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador has confirmed that the Tulum International airport will open by 2023. The original plans for the airport began more than a decade ago but were never realized until the destination exploded in popularity over the last few years.

“Quintana Roo is one of the fastest growing states, I can tell you that the new Tulum airport will be built,” said the Mexican President. 

The Tulum airport will be the state’s fourth airport joining Cancún, Chetumal and Cozumel, an island off the coast of Playa del Carmen.

Tulum was a once sleepy beach town home to just 30 thousand residents. The small town is growing very fast and was visited by over 2 million tourists a year prior to the pandemic.

Its laidback lifestyle, pristine white sand beaches, ancient ruins and popular eco-tourism has thrusted the destination into mainstream tourism.

 Maya Train Will Connect Cancun and Tulum By 2022

Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that the Mexican army would be building the train between Cancun and Tulum which is expected to be completed by 2022.

“We will begin construction in March of 2021 and we will finish it in March of 2022,” the President stated.

The 120 kilometers long route between the two tourism hotspots will be the first section of the Maya train to be finished. Once the full route is completed, the Maya train will link the famous beaches of the Riviera Maya to Mayan ruins sites, culturally-rich towns, and various tourist destinations in the Yucatán Peninsula and beyond.

The extensive railway project was first announced in 2018 with the premise of providing a widespread network of transportation across the Yucatán Peninsula to connect sightseers to popular destinations. 

The vision of the completed project is to develop a railroad stretching 1500 kilometers with 17 stops along the way, facilitating ease of transportation and accessibility for tourists in southeastern Mexico.

The project will cost as estimated USD 7.4 billion, with a timeline of four years to build. Since the project began, the funding has significantly exceeded the estimated budget.

The Maya Train is expected to have separate rail cars for tourists, local passengers and cargo.

Full List Of Train Stops

Quintana Roo: Cancun, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Bacalar

Campeche: Escárcega, Campeche, Xpujil, Calakmul

Yucatán: Maxcanú, Merida, Izamal, Chichén Itzá, Valladolid

Chiapas: Palenque 

Tabasco: Tenosique

Cancun has been one of the most popular destinations in the world during the pandemic attracting millions of visitors to its white sand beaches and luxury all inclusive hotels. With increased connectivity coming the United States and Europe and a potential home cruise port for Royal Caribbean in Cozumel, the state of Quintana Roo continues to show itself as a dominant force in attracting mass tourism.

Read More:

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