For millions of travelers, it’s the vibrant, beating heart of the Riviera Maya. A stroll down Playa del Carmen’s iconic Fifth Avenue, with its endless shops, bustling restaurants, and lively bars, is an essential part of any vacation experience. Now, this world-famous pedestrian street is set to get a major, much-needed makeover.
In a direct response to calls from residents and the business community, the city’s new administration is launching a comprehensive rehabilitation project designed to restore the “prestige” of this vital tourist artery. For visitors, this means a safer, more modern, and more beautiful experience is on the way.
The move signals a renewed commitment to the city’s most important landmark, ensuring it remains a world-class destination for years to come.
A Firsthand Look at the Problems
The initiative was kicked off by Playa del Carmen’s Mayor, Estefanía Mercado, who recently led a hands-on supervisory tour of the entire length of the avenue, from the intersection of Constituyentes Avenue down to the famous Fundadores Park. Accompanied by her cabinet, she personally inspected the current state of the street.
During the tour, officials identified several key issues that undermine the visitor experience and pose potential safety risks. These include deteriorated street furniture, inadequate lighting in some sections, and, most critically, the poor condition of service manhole covers, many of which are broken or uncovered, creating a hazard for pedestrians.
The Vision: A World-Class Tourist Corridor
Following the inspection, Mayor Mercado made it clear that maintaining the status quo was not an option.
“The state of Fifth Avenue must reflect the level of city we aspire to be: modern, safe, inclusive, and on par with major international destinations,” she said. “We cannot allow this vital artery for tourism and the identity of Playa del Carmen to remain in conditions that undermine its functionality and prestige.”
Here at The Cancun Sun, we see this as fantastic news for the region. The planned overhaul isn’t just about patching up a few problems; it’s about a strategic, long-term vision to elevate the entire visitor experience.
What the Makeover Will Include
The Mayor announced that a comprehensive rehabilitation and urban planning project is already in the works. While the full details will be released later, the strategic plan is set to include major improvements in several key areas:
- Infrastructure: Repairing and upgrading the physical street, sidewalks, and underground services.
- Public Services: Improving lighting across the entire avenue for both safety and ambiance.
- Aesthetics & Accessibility: Upgrading street furniture and ensuring the design meets universal accessibility standards.
- Retail Redesign: A plan to improve the layout and design of street-level retail to create a more cohesive and high-end atmosphere.
This project aims not only to solidify Fifth Avenue’s massive tourism potential but also to restore its value as a safe, beautiful, and functional public space for everyone. For the millions of travelers who have fallen in love with this iconic street, the message is clear: the best is yet to come.
Happy travels!
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Brent Fernstrom
Sunday 13th of July 2025
Why don't they address the real problem of being asked by every second vendor if you want to buy cocaine or marijuana. It's gross.We hate 5 Ave for that reason.
Rosen Susan
Saturday 12th of July 2025
I 100% agree. We fell in love with Playa over 25 years ago when very few tourists had discovered this most charming town. Since then, fifth Avenue has been overtaken by Starbucks, Häagen-Dazs, even Dunkin’ donuts, not to mention, urban outfitters, Victoria’s Secret and other big American chains. We can stay home if this is what we want to see. Playa has lost its original charm and it’s sad to see more changes like this are in the works. What next ? Will all the trees be cut down instead of incorporating the natural beauty into the landscape of Playa ? As it is. none of the little authentic coffee cafes, mom and pop businesses, are still around. This is exactly what we loved about this town and I have a feeling our next visit to see the changes will be our last. Big mistake Ms Mayor.
rich james
Sunday 13th of July 2025
@Rosen Susan, of course no mention of the aggressive drug dealing with impunity ;((
Eugene
Saturday 12th of July 2025
I’ve been going to Playa del Carmen (PDC) for many years and have witnessed many changes. Most unfortunate was the loss of the area’s tropical charm, especially along 5th Ave, both north and south of Constituyentes.
The over-scaled Hyatt should never have been built and chain stores, like Forever 21, should have gone into the big malls along Hwy 307, not on 5th. In 2023 I found that a pretty spot where 5th meets Calle 16 had been given over to a huge Madame Tussauds---is this what City leaders think tourists come to PDC for?
It’s true that some businesses may not have been thriving, especially after Covid, but someone has to make the right decision as to what replaces them. The bland 4-story black box of the Innovasport store is totally out of place (and isn’t there a 3-story limit?) as is the faceless big black box of a watch store further south.
Some years ago one of the most beloved areas along 5th was bulldozed to make way for a little-used mall topped by a Thomson hotel, which did poorly and was recently taken over by Hyatt. Lesson learned?
Most of the handicraft stores are gone and south 5th near the pier seemed to be mostly massage parlors. On the upside, many new restaurants piqued our interest. But on our last stroll down 5th the noise level from competing roof-top bars was so deafening we didn’t even want to patronize them.
I do not have faith that this planned make-over will make much of a difference, especially if they think new manhole covers and benches will make the difference. PDC has no sense of scale, design or consistency, and has lost most of the original ambience that drew us all there in the first place. We will probably never return.
Susan Rosen
Saturday 12th of July 2025
@Eugene,