Quintana Roo has experienced one of the fastest growth rates in Mexico over the last two decades. Population expansion, combined with record tourism volumes, has pushed existing infrastructure well beyond its original capacity.

While the region has historically focused on hospitality and residential development, the supporting industrial infrastructure required to sustain this growth has lagged significantly behind. Power outages, logistics bottlenecks, and waste management constraints are now common across Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum.

Key Signals

• Population growth: 1.86 million residents in 2020, up 40.2% from 2010

• Projected growth: Tulum and Felipe Carrillo Puerto expected to grow 447% by 2050

• Tourism volume: 20.9 million tourists in 2024

• Airport traffic: Cancun International Airport handled 32 million passengers in 2023

• Economic concentration: Tourism represents approximately 91% of the regional economy

This level of growth places intense pressure on physical systems that were never designed to operate at this scale. Roads, utilities, power, water, and waste systems are now critical constraints on continued economic activity.

As a result, demand for warehousing, logistics facilities, maintenance hubs, and operational support infrastructure has accelerated rapidly — often outpacing available supply.

For RIIP, population and tourism growth are not simply demographic trends — they are direct drivers of industrial demand.

Every additional resident, visitor, and hotel requires supporting logistics, storage, maintenance, and service infrastructure. The absence of modern industrial assets in the region creates a clear opportunity to develop purpose-built facilities that support long-term, non-cyclical demand.

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2020

2010

Urban expansion along the Quintana Roo coastline (1984–2020).