Hotel officials representing some of Mexico’s most popular tourism destinations have started working on COVID-19 vaccination and testing policies to help maintain competitiveness despite the ongoing pandemic.

According to the Riviera Maya News , Hotel Association of Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres Director Roberto Cintron Gomez said the group is looking into ensuring tourist service providers are amongst the first vaccinated and additional COVID-19 testing locations.

Gomez said the association has been in contact with Quintana Roo governor Carlos Joaquin about implementing the strategies, adding that officials believe the United States will soon require a negative PCR test for re-entry.

By providing these services for tourists, Gomez said travelers would be able to comply with re-entry requirements without leaving the Cancun Hotel Zone. The investment into the policies would be shouldered by the hotels.

“All the hoteliers with whom I have spoken agree and have already accounted for around half a million vaccine doses for the northern region of the state,” Gomez said. “We have talked with the governor of the state, Carlos Joaquin, to establish a strategy to pay attention to tourists who could test positive, something that will be established in due course.”

As for the vaccinations for all hotel employees and service providers, the protocols would be the first in the region . The plan was designed to offer complete security to visitors and guarantee the health of employees within the industry.

In the event of a tourist testing positive for coronavirus, several hotels in the region announced they would charge preferential prices to the families of the infected, according to Gomez.