Tulum is an influencer’s paradise. But there’s an ugly truth behind the hashtags

If you’re aware of Tulum, you probably have Instagram to thank for that.

The beach haven on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula has become the poster child of eco-chic, frequented by Lululemon-clad yogis preaching sustainability and influencers chasing aesthetically pleasing backdrops.

But behind the hashtags, an ugly truth lurks in Tulum: the tourism boom is crippling the local infrastructure and destroying much of the natural beauty that made this once-hippie paradise famous.

One of the last cities built by the Maya, Tulum was a bohemian backwater when mass tourism arrived on the Yucatan courtesy of the resort town of Cancun, 131 kilometres to Tulum’s north.

But as the travel industry exploded in Cancun, the crowds slowly crept down the coast, discovering Tulum’s wild jungle, white sand beaches, 11th century Mayan ruins and architecture modelled on luxe treehouses.

Since 2010, the town’s population has grown by 65%. The once-hippie hideout is becoming more unrecognisable by the day, and the infrastructure can’t keep up.

There’s no electricity grid in Tulum, nor an adequate sewage system. Many of the town’s most Instagrammable locales run on gas generators, sending both noise and air pollution over the area’s famed beaches.

The peninsula’s incredible cenotes, or sinkholes, which have now become tourist swimming holes, are also under threat.

Once a vitally important underground freshwater system to the Maya, as their main water source and a gateway to the underworld, the cenotes are now nothing more than a tick on an Instagram checklist and are becoming heavily polluted.

But perhaps most depressingly, the tourist explosion and the proliferation of high-priced hotels hasn’t helped to generate economic development for the locals. The average wage in Tulum is equivalent to NZ$590 per month – a number that has barely increased since 2011.

There’s a price for paradise, and Tulum’s environment and locals are picking up the tab.

The government does, however, appear to be trying to change this. In 2018, the state of Quintana Roo declared Tulum its first official sustainable tourism development zone – meaning developers must follow extremely specific criteria to be able to class themselves as sustainable.

Still, there’s no shortage of hotels, tour companies and restaurants declaring themselves “sustainable.” For many, it’s a buzzword. But some are going above and beyond to practice what they preach.

Located midway down Tulum Beach, the small, unassuming La Zebra Hotel is punching above its weight in the sustainability stakes. Part of Colibri Boutique Hotels – owned by two Australians and with a Kiwi chief executive – the property is big on trying to preserve its future.

After being closed for two months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Laura Diver, marketing director of Colibri Boutique Hotels, says La Zebra was the “busiest we’ve ever been.” It made her and her team more focused than ever on sustainability.

“Education in the area is low, so we have to explain everything to the staff about why we do what we do. But we think it’s working,” Diver says.

Plastic is almost entirely eliminated on the property, simply because it’s so expensive to have rubbish removed. Recycling isn’t a realistic option because few cities offer it. The compost they produce is gifted to the local community.

Cigarette butts are donated to an association that makes pots with them. Bottle caps are donated to an association for children with cancer – with the money collected, they make wigs for the children.

Sewage water is cleaned by a filtration system so it can be used for irrigation. Grease from the kitchen water is trapped and treated and used to make scented candles for the hotel. Coasters are made from used liquor boxes.

Many of its staff are hired from the nearby town of Chemax, where opportunities are few and far between. The hotel is also trying to encourage more women to work – just 20% of La Zebra’s staff are women.

“In a lot of communities the women stay home and the men go and work. Education is aimed towards men. There’s still that type of thinking in small towns,” Diver says.

So they employ them indirectly, too. The women of Chemax make fabric turtles for young guests from old staff uniforms. A biologist offers workshops to the children of staff so they can help to apply the hotel’s practices in their own home.

“We do a lot. But this isn’t the case for many places. I wish there were more doing what we’re doing. But not everyone can afford it.”

Those that can afford it tend to be hotel brands catering to the travelling elite.

Our Habitas Tulum offers “quiet luxury” for the well-heeled traveller. With the likes of Paris Hilton ranking among past guests, the hotel caters to the quintessential Tulum tourist: those eager for a morning of ashtanga yoga and acai bowls, followed by an afternoon lounging by the infinity pool.

The hotel’s rooms are canvas tents, dotted throughout the property, with many nestled in the jungle among palm trees, pitched on wooden platforms and topped with palapa rooves, with outdoor bathrooms. The structures are supposed to have a reduced impact on the environment.

Plastic is all but banned here, and water and electricity use by guests is monitored closely. The hotel’s Plastic Hunters initiative places waste bins around high-need areas in Tulum to educate locals about proper rubbish disposal. Its carbon footprint is “compensated” through the purchase of “agroforestry bonds” – where trees are planted to offset its carbon emissions.

Tour companies to the peninsula’s most famous sights – if you can draw yourself away from the beach or the overpriced bars – are also trying to do better by the environment. One of the most well-known companies, Mexico Kan Tours, offers small, private tours for the discerning eco-traveller. Each tour helps support a local community.

A trip to the famed Chichen Itza, one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World, is a small group tour with a local guide, with a zero-waste rule and “responsible travel tips” sent to each guest. The tour includes a stop at a lesser-known cenote owned by a Mayan family. The company organises beach and town clean-ups and sponsors a children’s football team in Tulum, as well as a veterinary clinic and a local organisation supporting Mayan communities.

They’re small steps, but driving through the streets of Tulum, observing the rapid rate of construction, it’s clear that every little bit is necessary. Local companies want to ensure the hashtags endure for years to come.

United Airlines flies to Cancun from Auckland, with stop-overs in Los Angeles and San Francisco. From Cancun, a taxi or bus will take you two hours’ south to Tulum.

Flying generates carbon emissions. To reduce your impact, consider other ways of travelling, amalgamate your trips, and when you need to fly, consider offsetting emissions.