There was a time, long ago, when the names Riviera Maya and Tulum were not synonymous with gastronomy, Instagram fame, and celebrity sightings. All that changed when Dario Flota Ocampo came on board as Managing Director of the Riviera Maya Tourism Board. He is largely responsible for giving those regions their current luster and transforming them into some of the world’s premier travel destinations.

His accomplishments have been widely recognized, and now Flota Ocampo is commanding the development, promotion, and growth of eleven total destinations as Director of the newly created Quintana Roo Tourism Board. If his track record proves anything is that today you may not be familiar with Holbox, Bacalar, or Playa Mujeres; but give it a few years and those names will be as popular and omnipresent as Cancun is today.

Dario Flota Ocampo – Director of the Quintana Roo Tourism Board

We sat down with Flota Ocampo to discuss the grand plans and future evolution coming to Quintana Roo in the months and years ahead.

HOMBRE: What are the changes expected in the state of Quintana Roo?
Dario Flota Ocampo: We have identified eleven promotable destinations within the state of Quintana Roo. Besides Cancun and Riviera Maya we are going to start promoting more intensively Holbox, Isla Mujeres, Puerto Morelos, Tulum, Cozumel, the Mayan Zone (in the center of the state), and in the south Mahahual, the Bacalar Lagoon, and Chetumal, the state capital. That’s a total of eleven destinations with different attractiveness, and different kinds of activities to offer.

Puerto Morelos

They have different target markets. Some people are looking for more relaxation, more sophistication, or more isolation. Most of these destinations like the island of Holbox or Bacalar – which are beautiful – are development destinations. We want to keep them that way, connected with nature and protective of the environment.

Holbox

H: What can you tell us about each specific destination?
DFO: North of the state of Quintana Roo is the island of Holbox, it’s a white sand island and its an hour and forty five minutes from Cancun, you take a ferry there. It’s the best place to interact with the whale shark. You pass mountains and a natural biospehre park reserve. This has the biggest concentration of jaguars and an undeveloped jungle, and we have to keep it that way. Holbox is what people are looking for, small hotels, small number of rooms with a pristine beach.

Isla Mujeres

Then there is a part in front of Isla Mujeres known as Playa Mujeres and here we are developing 25,000 hotel rooms. We’re getting hotels like Riu, there’s a Secrets, a Dreams, and there’s the Playa Mujeres Golf Course.

Chetumal

To the south is the bay of Chetumal which is the capital of the state, and has the river which divides Belize and Mexico. Rio Hondo finishes in the lagoon of Chetumal. And Chetumal being the capital is not a very touristy place. There are business hotels and people go there for meetings. But there is great seafood in some parts.

Chacchoben – Mayan Zone

The Mayan Zone is not only the ruins, it’s the entire experience. You can meet the people, eat in their homes, interact with them. This is part of the Sian Ka’an biosphere reserve. The most interesting Mayan archaeological areas on the state are around Chetumal. You can visit Chetumal and visit Sian Ka’an on the same day. Driving from Cancun to Chetumal is four and half hours, from Playa del Carmen three and a half, and from Tulum two and a half.

Mahahual

Mahahual is a cruise port, it’s the second in relevance after Cozumel. Cruise ships come from Florida, they go to Cozumel, stop at Mahahual, and head to the Caribbean. The beach there is similar to Holbox, same white sand and small hotels. Mahahual is part of the municipality of Chetumal, but its a different destination.

Bacalar

Bacalar is a lagoon complex, on the way from Chetumal. Beautiful. The lagoon is known as the seven colors lagoon, seven colors of blue. Bacalar is a municipality and a destination. We need to identify the destinations because that is what we are promoting.

Holbox

H: Which would you say is the most exotic destination?
DFO: Holbox and Bacalar. Holbox has very special things to offer. You can swim with the whale shark from June to September, and this year the experts are expecting 400. It’s a picturesque island.

Tulum

H: Besides these new destinations, what can you tell us about the areas that are more well known like Tulum?
DFO: Tulum became one of the most glamorous parts of Riviera Maya. They have great hotels, offering superb gastronomy experiences, and peaceful yoga retreats. The beach is fantastic, one of the best in the whole state. And the privacy of the beaches is one of the main attractions. It’s very popular for celebrities and for people who want to get away from the crowds.
Even the location, the rooms are steps away from the beach. That experience is different. Tulum has some of the most expensive hotel rates on the state, there are no all-inclusive hotels there. You can walk from one hotel to the other, and riding bicycles is very popular. People are going, enjoying, and recommending. This experience of eating well, enjoying the beach, and having that kind of privacy is hard to find in any popular destination.

Cancun

H: What about Cancun?
DFO: Cancun is still growing. Since the hurricane in 2005 it has been rebuilt with new luxurious hotels, like Nizuc, and Le Blanc. Near downtown there is an exciting new development, Puerto Cancun, which has a marina, great condos, and new hotels. It has the first SLS, a Renaissance Hotel, a great shopping center, and a food court that instead of fast food has small restaurants by great chefs. You choose where you want your food from and then get a table in front of the marina.

Rosewood Mayakona

H: Any new developments in Riviera Maya?
DFO: Riviera Maya continues growing also. Mayakoba added a new hotel, a new Andaz Hotel which is part of the Hyatt brand. Near there is another complex very similar with canals, a golf course, and hotels including a W, a St. Regis , and an Auberge Resorts. This new complex is called Kanai Resort.

Amikoo Theme Park Design

Nearby is construction of a new Mayan theme park, Amikoo. It will have a museum, and a hotel. It’ll be similar to the parks in Florida. That will be a great offer for the South American tourists that are not able to go to the United States. It’s a great addition to the attractions already in Riviera Maya. This is all Mayan related and Mayan themed. The museum is scheduled to open at the end of this year.

UNICO 20°87°

There are additional hotels coming to Playa del Carmen. There is a new Thompson hotel, and there is the UNICO 20°87° which is part of the Hard Rock Group. It’s a luxury all-inclusive hotel with a great beach.

There are more things coming, but also every year the environmental regulations are stronger so this growth is in keeping  with the protection of the environment.

H: Finally, what can we expect this year for the Riviera Maya Jazz Festival?
DFO: We are very proud of it. We are working on this year’s edition now. When I started it was the third year, now we are on our sixteenth year. Last year was the fifteenth anniversary, but also the first year without Fernando Toussaint who (passed away and) was the producer for the fourteen years before. We had a group of Fernando’s friends to perform the first day, and we opened the Festival with the president of the Hotel Association on sax, and myself on guitar doing a song we did twelve years ago with Fernando.

We are working to make the Riviera Maya Jazz Festival one of the cornerstones of our marketing plans. We will be announcing the lineup soon, and we also moved it one week after Thanksgiving.

We are expecting to have this year’s Festival with the same variety, and diversity of music. I can say in advance that we will have Mexican musicians, Latin American musicians, American musicians, and maybe Canadian musicians. It will be balanced, with a great lineup as always.

Riviera Maya

Cozumel

Cancun