Puerto Progreso Project to Promote Economy and Tourism

Two weeks ago, President López Obrador announced the infrastructure plan that will drive the National Agreement for Economic Recovery. Of the 39 projects mentioned, seven are already being executed and gathering an accumulated investment of MX$297 billion (US$14 billion). Project 25 consists of a public-private partnership to expand and modernize Puerto Progreso, Yucatan. Puerto Progreso is considered key to the development of the Mexican southeast. It is also a mobility facilitator for the maritime and terrestrial transport of goods and passengers, as well as a tourist exchange point with the border to the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic.

Today, the port has the infrastructure capacity to receive ships with up to 40,000 tons of products, as well as last-generation cruises, according to the Ministry of Communications and Transportation. The port has grown significantly over the past 10 years, which is why the federal government approved its expansion beginning in November 2021 with an investment of MX$4 billion (US$189.5 million). The investment will deepen the port’s draught from 9m to 15m and expand the width of the navigation channel from 140m to 200m to allow the port to receive ships carrying up to 100,000 tons of cargo or 10,000 passengers, explained the Governor of Yucatan, Mauricio Vila Dosal, to El Universal. Therefore, this project is expected to be an important economic driver for Yucatan and the southeast.

In 2019, Yucatan received more than 2.8 million people by air and over 400,000 by sea, according to the state’s government, which represented a 15 percent year-on-year increase and generated a spillover of MX$264.9 million (US$12.5 million). That year, Yucatan broke its own tourism record with over 3.2 million visitors. The modernization of Puerto Progreso is expected not only to boost the local economy but also its tourism, as the port’s renovation is considered to be "a strong move to position Yucatan as the best touristic destination in Mexico and to keep the state among the most desired vacation destinations,” explains Yucatan’s Government. 

In addition to this initiative, Volaris and the Government of Yucatan signed on Oct. 17 the Strategic Alliance for the Air Reactivation of Yucatan, which aims to support the recovery of tourism in the region by encouraging visitors to travel to the state. Also, Volaris will reactivate its Merida-Oaxaca flight in November and is analyzing reopening the Miami-Merida route in 2021. This program also offers 30,000 seats at a 20 percent discount for all active routes that Volaris operates from the Merida airport.