Tulum guarantees free beach access
Tulum launched the 'Acceso Playa Tecate' initiative guaranteeing free public access to its Caribbean beaches to push back against privatization. The policy is live now — good news if you’re planning a spring/summer trip and want beach time without resort fees or blocked access. (travelandtourworld.com)
The Acceso Playa Tecate program was launched by beer brand Tecate, with company director Esteban Velasco publicly framing the effort as a corporate-backed campaign to restore and protect public shoreline rights in Mexico (LBBonline.com). Two access points are already operational in Tulum at the businesses Coco Unlimited and Villa Las Estrellas, which Tecate says are serving as initial, permanently open entryways to the sand (TravelDailyNews.com). Tecate says it will expand access through formal alliances with hotels and beach clubs across the coast, positioning private operators as guarantors of public entry rather than gatekeepers (Expansion.mx). The move follows a high-profile dispute in late 2025 when Tulum mayor Diego Castañón imposed limits on beach access on Oct. 12, 2025, before the federal tourism ministry intervened to re-establish open access rules (MexicoNewsDaily.com). Local reporting tracked a prior municipal agreement that involved 15 hotels and beach clubs pledging no-cover, no-minimum-entry policies, a pact civic groups cited as a model for broader rollout (TheCancunSun.com). Tecate’s campaign materials cite a national access statistic — roughly one public access point per 100 kilometers in some coastal stretches — and a March 10, 2026 press notice framing the initiative as a response to that deficit (Expansion.mx)
