Riviera Maya is a tourism and resort district in
Mexico. It straddles the coastal
Highway 307 along the
Caribbean coastline of the state of
Quintana Roo, located on the eastern portion of the
Yucatán Peninsula. This district historically started at the city of
Playa del Carmen and ended at the village of
Tulum, although the towns of
Puerto Morelos situated to the north and between Playa del Carmen and
Cancun as well as the town of
Felipe Carrillo Puerto situated 40 kilometres (25 mi) to the south of Tulum are both currently being promoted as part of the Riviera Maya tourist corridor.
Punta Maroma, Riviera Maya, Mexico
The Riviera Maya was originally called the "Cancun - Tulum corridor", but in
1999 it was renamed as the Riviera Maya with the aid of Lic.
Miguel Ramón Martín Azueta who at the time was the municipal president of
Solidaridad, Quintana Roo. The municipality of
Solidaridad includes the whole of the official Riviera Maya from Playa del Carmen in the north and south to Tulum and extending to some 40 km inland with the border with the state of
Yucatan.
The Riviera Maya is famous for its large scale all-inclusive resorts and a historical tourism base of smaller boutique hotels as well as the many fine-dining restaurants available along the highway 307 and on or near the beaches.
Luxury travel entities have been instrumental in increasing luxury villa rentals and yacht charters in the area however these only represent a small fraction of the total tourism accommodation available.
Government development plans include establishing a number of medium-sized cities of ~
200 000 inhabitants within the Riviera Maya with initial planning spanning 20 years.
Target areas for urbanization include the towns and villages of: Puerto Morelos, the Riviera Maya),
Puerto Aventuras,
Akumal, Chemuyil, and Tulum.
A major attraction throughout the Riviera Maya are coastal and reef aquatic activities dependent on the coastal water and the
Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (also known as the
Belize Barrier Reef) which begins near Cancun and continues along the whole length of the Riviera Maya continuing southward to
Guatemala. This barrier reef system is the second longest in the world.
Activities at the most visited locations include
Jet Skiing, snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming in cenotes, swimming with dolphins, zip-lining, horse riding, sailing, and guided jungle tours. Archeology is also a big tourist draw in the area, including the popular archeological sites operated by the
Instituto Nacional de Archeological such as Tulum on the coast, and
Chichen Itza and
Coba located some distance inland. The self-named ecoparks of
Xcaret and Xel-Ha also include some smaller archeological ruins
as part of their attractions, but these natural water theme parks operated by private business consortia attract much larger crowds due to the diversity and range of activities provided, such as swimming with captive dolphins.
- published: 04 Feb 2015
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