Message from our CEO | 2020 Sustainability Report

Grupo Xcaret presents the achievements registered during the past year around our three main axes: People, Planet and Prosperity, through its 2020 Sustainability Report 

In addition to being an important company in the tourism industry and creating strong revenues for the entire Yucatan Peninsula, Grupo Xcaret has become a role model in the sector due to its social responsibility and leadership in issues such as resilience, technological advancements, strategic marketing and in offering unique products that help take care of our environment.

We are the largest benchmark in the region in terms of our good sustainable tourism practices that drive many others to keep the pace. We are, in short, a symbol of quality and safety in our destination. 

During 2020, facing the health contingency, we assumed our responsibility as a leading company and announced the closure of the hotel and parks as of March 22. 

The wide diffusion of our message invited a large part of the companies in the area to follow our example and refrain from taking health risks by accelerating their own closure plans. On the one hand, it was a very difficult and expensive decision, but on the other, it obeyed the number one priority, which is the company’s philosophy: “people’s safety comes before everything else when making choices». 

Closing meant sending 9,000 employees home without being able to tell them how long this closure would be. We agreed to salary adjustments in two phases: the critical phase, in which we would remain totally closed and which finally lasted three months, and the start-up and recovery phase. After studying the graphs that the reports showed daily, complying with all the pertinent adjustments and certifications in accordance with the three levels of government of our country, we resumed operations at Hotel Xcaret México and Xcaret Park on June 15. 

Two weeks later we opened the other parks. We were aware that in the months of June and July it would cost us more to open than to remain closed because during the process of reopening the destination, the occupancy would not exceed 30%. However, the important thing was to send the signal that the destination was open and that it was safe; thus, reactivating the region’s economy, which, due to the closure, was on the verge of a social crisis as well. 

Once again, as a leading group in the sector, we contributed to creating the opening guidelines for amusement parks of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international committees to which we fortunately belonged since before the pandemic. Learning collectively and supported with our own knowledge and experience, we generated a detailed protocol model for the reopening: 360° Xafety, which was part of the guidelines for parks established by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the Federal Tourism Ministry. 

2020 was the beginning of a challenge that continues to test us, but also reiterates the importance of continuing to work in balance with our environment. Consequently, in delicate situations of vulnerability and emergency, we feel compelled to set the best example so that we can solve problems together effectively and thus, all rise again, together. 

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