by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 8:50 AM ET, Tue July 7, 2026
As Sargassum reaches record levels this year, already exceeding last year’s total in Quintana Roo, the Mexican state home to key tourist destinations, including Riviera Maya, businesses impacted by cancellations and declining tourist numbers are requesting that the government declare an emergency due to the algae.
According to Riviera Maya News, the Riviera Maya Hotel Association, the Riviera Maya Business Coordinating Council and other businesses are warning that the brown-red Sargassum that’s been washing up on area beaches has caused a drop in hotel occupancy this summer.
“As hotels, we propose to the authorities that they issue a declaration of emergency in order to access extraordinary resources and be able to face this crisis that is affecting everyone,” said Vice President of the destination’s hotel association, Andrea Lotito.
“We can’t wait any longer,” she said. “Summer vacation is just around the corner and we can’t promote a destination covered in Sargassum. The beaches need to be restored to regain the confidence of tourist markets.”
Lotito urged the state government to develop a plan that includes government authorities, the private sector and oceanographers and marine biologists, using funds from the emergency declaration to prioritize cleaning up hard-hit beaches.
“The Caribbean Sea continued to show record-high Sargassum amount for the month of June, and the total Sargassum amount in the Gulf reached 5 million metric tons, which nearly doubled the historical record in 2025,” the University of South Florida’s Optical Oceanography Laboratory explained in its latest report. “As a result, severe beaching events have been reported along the southeast coast of Florida. Likewise, beaching events have also continued around the Caribbean and Lesser Antilles islands.”
A Record Sargassum Year
2026 is shaping up to be a record year for Sargassum across the Caribbean.
Sargassum season in Mexico began two months early this year. Typically beginning in March and extending through October, the hottest months of the year in the Caribbean, some Mexican beaches experienced beaching events as early as January.
Playa del Carmen, also in Quintana Roo, was one of the destinations that issued a “red alert” for its beaches in late April, after the state collected a total of 25,000 metric tons of Sargassum.
Florida’s also been experiencing a record Sargassum year, with beaching events reported from northwestern Florida to south Florida.
There are currently an estimated 5 million metric tons of Sargassum floating throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
And beaching events will only get worse, according to the experts who monitor the algae.
“Sargassum amount in most regions is likely to change slightly (either increase or decrease) in July,” the latest report explained. “Beaching events around the Caribbean and southeast coast of Florida will continue and likely increase. Some beaching events may also occur around Florida’s Panhandle region. The year of 2026 is set to be at least the second largest Sargassum year, as the total amount in June is only 10% lower than the historical record in 2025.”
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