Cruise travel expert Chillie Falls on the industry’s comeback and what it means for Yucatán

Cruise travel expert Chillie Falls on the industry’s comeback and what it means for Yucatán

Before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cruise industry in the Yucatán peninsula had been experiencing continuous growth for well over a decade. In 2019, ports welcomed nearly 2,000 cruise ships, making it the region’s best season to date.

Disney cruise ship on its way, but not with tourists
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Disney cruise ship on its way, but not with tourists

Yucatán announces the arrival of its first cruise ship in over a year. But don’t get too excited. The ship, Disney Wonder, will be docking in Progreso on Monday only for maintenance and will not be carrying any passengers. Under normal circumstances, the Disney Wonder has a capacity for up to 2,500 passengers and a…

Yucatán is expecting its largest tourist boom in over a year

Yucatán is expecting its largest tourist boom in over a year

Hotels in Yucatán are expecting to reach near 60% occupancy over the Easter holidays. Even before the official start of the holiday season on March 29, tourists began to arrive in Mérida in numbers not seen since before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.  “Many families from far and wide in México have chosen Yucatán…

2021 Progreso Home Tour is in its final days, but impact on local kids will be long lasting

2021 Progreso Home Tour is in its final days, but impact on local kids will be long lasting

Only a few days are left to enjoy a virtual tour of seven lovely homes along the coast of the Yucatán, and also support the education of area students.  The Progreso Home Tour is a pay-per-view event online this year, meaning even more people can participate. The proceeds go directly to the Progreso Apoyo Program,…

Boardwalk in Progreso to shut down over Easter holidays

Boardwalk in Progreso to shut down over Easter holidays

State authorities said that Progreso’s boardwalk will remain closed over the Semana Santa holiday to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The malecón will remain closed to both vehicle and pedestrian traffic starting Friday and continuing through April 11. The restaurants operating along the boardwalk will be allowed to continue admitting customers, though it is…

Frustrated foreigners in Yucatán wonder if they will ever get the free coronavirus vaccine

Frustrated foreigners in Yucatán wonder if they will ever get the free coronavirus vaccine

The COVID-19 vaccination center in Progreso is reportedly turning away people who do not have a Mexican voter ID card. Voter ID cards, known as INEs, are the most common form of identification in Mexico. Since these ID cards are only available to Mexican nationals, authorities who require them effectively shut out all foreign nationals…

Pemex pulls the plug on new waterfront park

Pemex pulls the plug on new waterfront park

Mexico’s state-owned oil company, Pemex, has canceled the construction of a new park in Progreso.  The new park was slated to be built on the western end of the boardwalk, facing the beach and carousel.  Park facilities would have included showers, games for children and easy access to the ocean. The project had been part…

Three dead turtles wash ashore in under a week

Three dead turtles wash ashore in under a week

Three dead turtles have washed up on the northern coast of Yucatán in under a week.  All three animals were of a species called Hawksbill sea turtles, known locally as tortugas de Carey.  The Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. Earlier: Bacalar’s lagoon has begun…

Yucatán’s beaches officially open to the public again Wednesday

Yucatán’s beaches officially open to the public again Wednesday

Yucatán’s beaches are set to reopen Wednesday after a two-week closure. Health authorities decided to close all public beaches in Yucatán following a spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state.  But only the beaches in Progreso and Telchac actually implemented the restrictions. Coastal communities including Sisal and Celestun kept their beaches open.  Authorities are urging…

Transgender candidate wants to be Progreso’s next mayor

Transgender candidate wants to be Progreso’s next mayor

The Party of the Democratic Revolution will nominate a trans woman as their candidate for Progreso’s highest elected office. “Naomi Arjona Rosas will run in the next elections on June 6 as the first trans candidate championed by the PRD in the port of Progreso, Yucatán,” an official bulletin states. “The leader is a historical…

Progreso beaches beckon more tourists, but police shoo them away

A family with two children, maskless and visiting Progreso’s malecon, enjoyed Friday morning taking photos of the beach and enjoying the breeze. Soon after, another family parked their car and made it to the beach, taking a dip in the calm gulf water. They were followed by more pedestrians on the promenade, some hanging out…

As Yucatan waits for a tourism comeback, Progreso is given an important endorsement

As Yucatan waits for a tourism comeback, Progreso is given an important endorsement

With a prediction that Progreso could be the next big thing in Mexico, travel agents were given the 411 on a “sleepy, authentic” port to send travelers. Tourism is slowly climbing back from coronavirus lockdowns, depending mainly on national visitors. But when Mexico’s welcome to leisure travelers opens up more fully, travel agents and tour…

Progreso pier shines blue to honor health-care workers in Yucatan

“You are our heroes,” said Yucatan Gov. Mauricio Vila Dosal as he inaugurated a display of blue lights along the arches of Progreso’s massive pier. The lights, which will shine every Friday, are in recognition of health-care workers who have endured the coronavirus crisis. “We know how difficult and complicated this pandemic has been for…

Officer slain in gang attack was fired from SSP for role in 2011 holdup

Officer slain in gang attack was fired from SSP for role in 2011 holdup

The Progreso police officer assassinated during a knife attack was fired by state police in 2011 after he was charged with gang robbery in his native Hunucmá, an archived SSP press release revealed. Luis Manuel Pacheco Chuc was 32 years old when he and two others held up a 76-year-old mototaxi operator and took his…

Hundreds lose jobs at Carnival, Progreso’s main source of cruise-ship dollars

Carnival Corp., the main cruise line to dock into Progreso, has announced hundreds of layoffs as the industry struggles to rebound. Entering its third month of lockdown, Carnival’s CEO Arnold Donald said the combination of layoffs, furloughs and pay cuts were “necessary given the current low level of guest operations and to further endure this…

Progreso policeman is slain in early-morning knife attack

Progreso policeman is slain in early-morning knife attack

Progreso, Yucatan — A municipal police officer died early Wednesday morning after being stabbed while working in his surveillance booth. The attack occurred around 2 a.m. when a group of unidentified subjects arrived at the Directorate of Public Security and Traffic Surveillance booth No. 15, on Calle 37 at Calle 112 in the Vicente Guerrero neighborhood….

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