Mexico Begins Beach Restoration Project

07/27/2009

ARTA E-NEWS FORJuly 24, 2009

From the Association of Retail Travel Agents E-News for July 27, 2009

Cancun, the Riviera Maya and Cozumel will have their beachfronts restored in time for the winter vacation period. The plan will add sand to an 11-mile stretch of beachfront, helping the area guard against erosion for the next 10 years. The dredging company that presented the winning bid, plans to extract nearly 247 million cubic feet of sand from underwater and use it to widen the beachfront. When it is finished, Cancun's beaches will be 44 yards wide, Playa del Carmen's 33 yards wide and Cozumel's 22 yards wide. The project is supported by the Quintana Roo State Government and Tourism Secretariat, Mexico's Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat and Mexico's Federal Electrical Commission. There is a $68 million trust with federal, state and municipal governments funding the trust. The trust has pledged to make sure environmental measures are respected and the local fauna and environment protected. For this reason as well, sand will only be extracted from certain areas and only between six and seven percent of sandbanks will be touched.
The project will benefit local hotels, residential zones, public beaches, restaurants and shopping centres.