🦜 Why Is Xcaret Imposing New Daily Visitor Limits?

TOGETHER WITH

It’s Tuesday July 22 and yesterday the summer programs at Hekab Be Activity Center began. On Sunday, Jim and I delivered a load of bicycles to Akumal and I have to say, the space is looking fantastic. Everything is organized and ready to welcome 60 children from the poblado who have signed up for the free enrichment activities.

I will delivering more bikes this week and I want to say thank you again to all the individuals and local business owners who stepped up to donate bikes and money to help the center get back on their feet.

In today’s newsletter we are covering:

• New Daily Visitor Limits at Xcaret

• SAT’s New Fiscal Data Card (CDF)

• A Popular Puerto Aventuras Eatery Closes

• World Tequila Day

— Michele Kinnon

*This newsletter may be clipped for length by your email provider. For the best reading experience, scroll up and select the option to READ ONLINE.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

📸 Our Photo of the Week was taken by my daughter @catk.01 in 2011. Do you know where it was taken? Read through to the end of the newsletter to find out!

📸 If you would like to see YOUR photo featured here, follow and tag @rivieramayainsidermx on Instagram or send it to [email protected].

IN THE NEWS

News from the Riviera Maya and beyond. You don’t have to know everything—but you should know something. Here are a few stories that caught my eye in the news this week.

🌿 Xcaret Limits Daily Visitors

Starting this month, Xcaret Park in Playa del Carmen is capping daily admissions to reduce overcrowding and enhance the visitor experience. Advance reservations are now essential. Discover why this move signals a shift toward sustainable, premium tourism—and how it could affect your next Riviera Maya vacation. Click here for full details.

🚢 Is Puerto Morelos Ready for a Deep-Water Port?

Quintana Roo officials are pushing forward plans for a deep-water industrial port in Puerto Morelos, despite years of expert warnings that the coastline can’t accommodate it without risking serious environmental damage. Why now? Who benefits? And what could this mean for the region’s future? Read more.

🎉 Playa’s Feria del Carmen Draws 100,000+ Visitors

Playa del Carmen’s beloved Feria del Carmen wrapped up with more than 100,000 attendees celebrating faith, family, and culture. From religious processions to vaquería dances, concerts, and carnival rides, this year’s fair blended tradition with modern festivities drawing crowds from across the peninsula. Read more.

🦈 Festival Highlights Bull Shark Conservation Efforts

Last weekend, Playa del Carmen launched its first Tiburón Toro Fest, spotlighting the annual arrival of bull sharks off its coast—a migration vital to the local dive industry. This new community-led event blends marine conservation with tourism, reinforcing the city’s role as a leader in sustainable ocean protection. Learn more about the festival and its impact.

🌦️ Weather Stations Empower Yucatan Communities

A grassroots network of weather stations is taking shape across the Yucatán Peninsula, empowering local communities with real-time climate data. From fishermen and farmers to tour operators and beekeepers, this project is turning weather forecasts into practical tools for protecting livelihoods in a changing climate. See how local knowledge meets meteorological science.

Seeking impartial news? Meet 1440.

Every day, 3.5 million readers turn to 1440 for their factual news. We sift through 100+ sources to bring you a complete summary of politics, global events, business, and culture, all in a brief 5-minute email. Enjoy an impartial news experience.

Join for free today!

ICYMI LAST WEEK

These were the most popular news stories featured in last week’s newsletter.

🇲🇽 Thinking About Residency in Mexico?

New rules for 2025 could affect how much income or savings you’ll need to qualify for Mexican residency. Whether you're planning a move or just curious, click here for the latest requirements and what they mean for expats.

✈️ New Airports on the Horizon!

Mexico has announced plans to build five new airports in key destinations including San Miguel de Allende, Ensenada, and Quintana Roo’s mainland. Aimed at boosting tourism and industry, these projects could transform regional travel. Find out where—and when—you might fly into these new hubs.

🚐 Don’t Leave Your Transportation to Chance

Are you having trouble finding reliable and affordable transportation for transfers from the Cancun Airport and tours around the Riviera Maya? Cancun Airport Transportation is our trusted service provider. Click on the image below to get a quote for your next vacation in paradise! $

$ Our sponsors help keep content free for readers and not stuck behind a paywall. If you would like to advertise in the Riviera Maya Insider click HERE to request our rate sheet.

EXPAT LIVING

💸 Why "Cheap Healthcare in Mexico" Is a Dangerous Myth

If you’ve attended the first two seminars in this series, you already know—what we thought we knew about healthcare in Mexico just doesn’t hold up anymore. Medical costs are rising fast—14.9% inflation in 2025 alone. Private hospitals now often ask for $500 USD or more upfront before treating you and yet many expats are still clinging to outdated assumptions that could wipe out their savings in an emergency.

The next session, 7 Health Insurance Myths That Could Cost You Thousands, is happening tomorrow, Wednesday, July 30 at 6PM (CDMX time) and I can’t recommend it enough. You’ll learn exactly why relying on old advice like “healthcare is cheap in Mexico” could leave you facing bills you’re not ready for.

This 75-minute online workshop breaks down seven of the most dangerous myths, shares real-life stories of what they’ve cost people, and gives you practical, actionable strategies to protect yourself. You’ll also get lifetime access to the replay and a live Q&A session to ask your own questions.

And if this is your first time hearing about these workshops, now is the time to get informed. Use code RIVIERA10 to register for just $19.97 USD (less than 400 pesos). The discount expires tonight (Tuesday) at midnight.

👉 Click here to reserve your spot.

🇲🇽 SAT’s New Fiscal Data Card: What You Need to Know

If you’re living, working, or doing business in Mexico—and issuing or requesting electronic invoices (facturas)—there’s a new tool from SAT you need to know about: the Fiscal Data Card (Cédula de Datos Fiscales, or CDF). Launched in 2025, this simplified document aims to make electronic invoicing (CFDI) safer and more straightforward.

Who needs this? If you’re an independent contractor, property owner renting long-term, running a business, or simply need to provide your tax details for billing purposes, you’ll likely encounter requests for your Fiscal Data Card soon.

Why the change? The traditional Constancia de Situación Fiscal (Tax Status Certificate) has long been used to confirm fiscal identity, but it contains sensitive personal data—like your address, tax regime, and compliance status. To improve privacy and streamline the invoicing process, SAT introduced the Fiscal Data Card, which limits shared information to only what’s essential for billing.

• Visit www.sat.gob.mx

• Go to “Trámites”

• Select “Constancia de Situación Fiscal”

• Choose “Obtén tu Cédula de Datos Fiscales”

• Enter your RFC and download the file

Is this mandatory? While SAT hasn’t formally eliminated the old Tax Status Certificate, many businesses are now accepting the CDF as it provides all the necessary data to issue valid invoices. It’s a good idea to generate and save both documents, as some organizations may still request the original CSF.

NOTES ON NAPKINS

🥃 World Tequila Day is Almost Here!

Thursday, July 24 is World Tequila Day—the perfect excuse to raise a glass and celebrate one of Mexico’s most iconic creations. But tequila is more than just a drink. From the blue agave fields of Jalisco to your favorite cocktail, it’s a story of heritage, craftsmanship, and national pride.

Curious what makes tequila so special? Whether you're off on an adventure, exploring Jalisco’s Tequila Route or just toasting at home, you might want to learn why tequila is so much more than just a drink.

👉️ Learn more about Tequila and World Tequila Day.

🇮🇹 Goodbye—for now—to Restaurante Emilia

A quick note this week to day “hasta luego” to Emilia. The extended road works did not do any favors to the businesses along the main road into Puerto Maya. This massive inconvenience and the slump in tourism this summer has taken its toll on Emilia, the popular Italian restaurant operated by Chef Lucio (formerly of Casa Sofia). I reached out to him last week and inquired what his plans are. He is hoping to open up again in November when the season picks up and his snowbird fans migrate back to the Riviera Maya for their winter stay. Ideally, he would like to be inside the gates and while we certainly do not want anymore local businesses to close up shop—RIP TukTuk, Refresh and DelPrado—it would be nice to have him find a space in the community.

⚡️ Electrical Issues Force Marina Restaurants to Close

On Thursday morning, an explosion in a transformer near the Centro Comercial in Puerto Aventuras caused many of the marina restaurants to go without power for several days. While much damage has been fixed and power restored to most of the marina, several businesses limped by on generator power while others remained dark. Donnie reports that Nauti Burro will be back open this afternoon with the Nauti Dogs playing tonight. The cause of the explosion is yet to be fully understood.

In news from Playa, our friend Heath at The Admiral Sports Bar reports that CFE issues will have them closed until Wednesday afternoon. Fingers crossed, they can get the issue solved even quicker.

RIVIERA MAYA REAL ESTATE

💰 Understanding Closing Costs for Buyers and Sellers

Whether you're purchasing a vacation home or selling an investment, understanding these costs can help avoid surprises at the closing table. As a matter of fact, you should have a good idea of what your financial obligations will be before you set your listing price or make an offer to buy! For buyers, closing costs typically run 6–10% of the purchase price, covering taxes, notary, legal fees, and bank trust setup. Sellers face fewer costs but must budget for capital gains tax, agent commissions, and key legal documents. Each transaction is unique, especially when factoring in Mexico’s required property valuation and fideicomiso regulations for foreign buyers. Confused?

👉️ Learn more about the real cost of Riviera Maya real estate transactions.

¿QUE PASA?

Tequila Tasting
Thursday, July 24 | Fragata Beach Club in Playa del Carmen | Starts at 6:30 PM | 950 MXN per person | Whatsapp 984 202 3483 for more info and reservations.

El Cuyo Beach Festival 2025
July 25 - 27 | Various activities and events all weekend.

Black and Beyond America - The Play
Saturday, July 26 | A theatrical performance at Buzo’s in Playa del Carmen | 7PM - 11:30PM | Tickets online or at the door.

Chicago - The Musical
Saturday, July 26 | Teatro 8 de Octubre in Cancun | Curtain time 8PM. | Tickets via whatsapp https://wa.link/gpyjft or https://wa.link/s6tfl0.

Guelaguetza 2025
August 1 - 3 | Parque las Palapas in Cancun | Free Admission.

El Cuyo Beach Festival 2025
August 1 - 3 | Various activities and events all weekend.

Moulin Rouge - The Musical
Saturday, August 2 | Teatro Alamos in Cancun | Curtain time 8PM. | Tickets via whatsapp https://wa.link/gpyjft or https://wa.link/s6tfl0.

Reggae on the Rooftop
August 14 | Presented by Run Away Realty at La Sirena Rooftop in Puerto Morelos | More info to come.

Xul Ha Summer Fest 2025
August 15 - 17 | Various sporting competitions and artistic events in the village of Xul Ha south of Bacalar. | Information and Registration.

Trendy Market Artisans Fair
Sunday, August 16 | Puerto Aventuras | 6PM - 10PM | Free Admission | Vendors welcome | Whatsapp 984 188 3492 for more info.

2025 Apapaxoa Gastocultural Festival
August 26 - 31 | Hotel Xcaret Arte in Playa del Carmen. Info and Tickets.

Do you have information about an upcoming event that you would like to see shared on Riviera Maya Insider? Let us know by replying to this email or sending it to [email protected].

JOIN THE INSIDERS!

Did you find us on Facebook? Did a friend forward this newsletter to you? Subscribe to get the best of the Riviera Maya delivered to your inbox every week for FREE!

FTC Partner Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps support our work and keeps this valuable content free for readers. We only recommend products and we use and love. We will always tell you if you are entering a sponsored or partner section. Thank you for your support!