Wildlife also plays an important role as well, with a coral reef aquarium, butterfly pavilion and tropical bird aviary among the offerings.
Rather than traditional rides, the nature park instead offers up its underground rivers, jungle trails and the vast Caribbean Sea, with exciting natural experiences built into those elements. The concept for Xcaret is simple and works well thanks to its stunning location. When I envisioned Xcaret, I saw it as an embassy for Mexico.” It was the perfect melting pot to create a place to show the whole culture, history and attractions of our country. I saw an opportunity and the chance to create a park showcasing Mexico in a location already rich in history, local flora and fauna, and culture. Mexico is a much larger country with a bigger culture offering. “If you go back three decades, they were already receiving maybe 1,000 visitors a day. “When I was younger, every couple of years we would be taken to visit there, which is how I got to know the Centre. While offering its own unique experience, the concept for Xcaret takes inspiration from the Polynesian Cultural Centre – one of the most popular attractions in Hawaii. “We opened the first part – a small part of the park – in 1990 and it continued to grow from there.” “We started to build the park in the 1980s,” says Pali. Instead of selling him the land, the brothers were so excited by the concept, that they ended up becoming business partners on the venture. Returning to the landowners – Oscar, Marcos and Carlos Constandse – on the hunt for more land, Pali explained his vision for Xcaret. This had to be something which would be open to everybody.” “With these continual discoveries, I said that this couldn’t be a private investment, that it had to be something open to the public because of the site’s archaeological significance. “As we discovered these relics and worked out where we could and couldn’t build, I decided that one house was too little for the five hectares I’d purchased. “There are around 2,000 relics of Mayan culture around Xcaret,” Pali tells Attractions Management. Surveying the land to build a luxury home several years earlier, furniture salesman and Mexican architect, Miguel Quintana Pali fell in love with the area, so much so, that he decided to develop what would become Xcaret on the 65-hectare plot. Two decades later in December 1990, Xcaret opened its doors, demonstrating the potential of a sustainable tourism project for a mass audience.Ĭonceptualised as an environmental attraction rather than a traditional tourist attraction, Xcaret – which is named after the Mayan word for a small inlet – was originally a Mayan port, with the park’s location boasting as much history as it does natural beauty. In the 1970s, academic Claus-Dieter Hetzer organised eco-tours to the region for overseas visitors, which proved popular. The Yucatan Peninsula was one of the first places where eco-tourism found its roots. Not only is it one of the most visited attractions in all of Mexico, but it’s also a place which has become a pioneer for eco-tourism worldwide. Jobs News Features Video Products Company profiles Profiles Magazine Handbook Advertise