Mexico's SEMARNAT Rejects Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day Water Park in Mahahual

Mexico's environmental ministry (SEMARNAT) announced on 19 May that it will not approve the Perfect Day water‑park project proposed by cruise operator Royal Caribbean in Mahahual, Quintana Roo. The decision follows a wave of social‑media criticism and street protests by groups such as Greenpeace and SelvameMX, which warned that the 90‑hectare development could threaten more than 300 local species and stress an already fragile ecosystem. Environment secretary Alicia Bárcenas said the ministry could not sanction the project, while President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated her administration's stance against any undertaking that endangers the region's ecological balance. The park, expected to draw up to 20,000 visitors daily, was slated to become a major tourist attraction, but the approval was halted pending further risk assessments.

A planned march in Mexico City to demand the project's cancellation was organized by activists, though its status remains uncertain after the ministerial announcement.