Why Tulum's Tourism is Growing Too Fast

[waves crashing softly]

We need to start thinking on tourism

in a different way to make it sustainable.

Doesn't matter if it's a huge destination

or little cabins on the jungle.

Everything has to be sustainable.

[plane roaring]

[gentle music]

I like to differentiate between a tourist and a traveler.

[gentle music continues]

A tourist comes and pretty much is looking

for the same that has back home.

And what I conceptualize as a traveler

is someone that comes and cares about the culture,

the nature, and wants to get to know what's happening there.

Tourism has changed so much about Tulum.

Sometimes in ways we cannot see.

I realized because of all the changes happening,

it was important to organize.

I feel responsible to do something.

My name is Karla Acevedo.

I'm the president of Tulum Sostenible.

We bring awareness to conscious travel in Tulum.

[waves crashing softly]

A lot of the problems that we have is the lack of planning,

the lack of infrastructure for the quantity of people

that is living here and coming to visit.

Now, there is a new airport in Tulum

and a new train connecting us to Cancun.

What happens is, people continue coming

and then you have more people living here,

more people bringing, consuming products,

they're gonna create waste.

So we were meeting with people from different backgrounds

to think about the problems,

but more than thinking about our problems,

thinking about solutions.

We are on top of the largest underground freshwater system

in the world,

and it's being polluted by improper waste management,

especially from tourist lodgings.

The problem is not tourism.

The problem is how we do tourism.

I'm Gonzalo Marediz.

I'm the director of Amigos de Sian Ka'an, a local NGO.

We promote the sustainable development

through nature conservation in this region of of Mexico.

[calm music]

Right now, we are in a biosphere reserve,

in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve,

a World Heritage Site, designated by by UNESCO.

A very important place, like, 1.5 million acres of land

and an ocean protected by the Mexican government.

[Gonzalo speaking in foreign language]

[Gonzalo speaking in foreign language]

If you don't have infrastructure to treat the water,

the water with pollution is gonna continue,

is going to the underground river system.

People diving or swimming in the cenotes

now are getting sick from the water.

[Gonzalo speaking in foreign language]

The pollution that's affecting these lakes,

and even the cenotes,

is directly related to improper water treatment.

[Gonzalo speaking in foreign language]

[upbeat music]

It's important to bring solutions to people,

so that we can start dealing with different issues.

For example, waste management and energy.

[Roberto speaking in foreign language]

Energy is a huge challenge in Tulum,

because, again, the infrastructure is very behind.

For many years, those hotels were running

on diesel and gasoline.

[Roberto speaking in foreign language]

[Roberto speaking in foreign language]

Another problem is that we do not have

a sewer system in Tulum.

You have to do your own treatment plant

or system in your business.

It's really important,

because part of the beach area is off grid.

So it's a responsibility for every hotel,

every business, to treat their own water.

[Florintino speaking in foreign language]

[Florintino speaking in foreign language]

This is the main part of our water treatment that we have,

and we have the whole rest

of the treatment plant on the other side.

There's a lot of greenwashing that happens,

but having a biologist on staff make sure

that what we are doing is actually what it says it is.

[birds chirping]

[Juan speaking in foreign language]

[Leopoldo chanting]

[Juan speaking in foreign language]

[Juan speaking in foreign language]

[Leopoldo speaking in foreign language]

[Juan speaking in foreign language]

[Juan speaking in foreign language]

[gentle guitar music]

We're standing here in Mayan land

and there is a lot of knowledge

and a lot of beautiful traditions

that we can learn from them.

[Juan speaking in foreign language]

[Juan speaking in foreign language]

[Juan speaking in foreign language]

I'm optimistic.

We believe in a compliment and a healthy balance

and harmony that you can have everything.

When we come together as community

to follow a vision, to follow an idea, to follow a project,

and how many powerful things can happen.

[waves crashing softly] [gentle guitar music ends]