Playa del Carmen

City in Quintana Roo, Mexico

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City in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Playa del Carmen

City

Sculpture in Parque Fundadores

Nickname(s):

Playa, PDC

Playa del Carmen

Show map of Quintana Roo

Playa del Carmen

Show map of Mexico

Coordinates: 20°37′41″N 87°04′32″W﻿ / ﻿20.6281425°N 87.0755°W﻿ / 20.6281425; -87.0755
Country| Mexico
State| Quintana Roo
Municipality| Solidaridad
Founded| 1937
Government

• Mayor| Roxana Lili Campos Miranda 2021–2024
Area

[1]

• City

| 49.8 km2 (19.2 sq mi)
Elevation

| 10 m (30 ft)
Population

(2020[2])

• City

| 304,942
• Density| 6,100/km2 (16,000/sq mi)
• Urban

| 304,942
Demonym| Playense
Time zone| UTC-5 (Southeast (US Eastern))
Postal codes|

77710, 77720

Area code| 984
Website| letsplaya.mx

Playa del Carmen, known colloquially as Playa, is a resort city located along the Caribbean Sea in the southeastern state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. It is part of the municipality of Solidaridad. As of 2020, the city's population was just over 300,000 people during 2020, a small yet thriving portion of which are foreign immigrants.[3]

Playa del Carmen is a popular tourist destination in Mexico's Riviera Maya region. Its current growth rate is set at 7.5% per year. According to Guinness World Records, it is one of Latin America's fastest-growing communities. In 2016, the city was the tenth most popular international travel destination for U.S. travelers, and more than one million tourists passed through the city a year later.[4][5] The main airport for Playa is the Cancún International Airport, which is around 70 kilometres (43 mi) away.

The area is known for its white sand beaches, blue turquoise waters, coral reefs, surrounding rainforests, and balnearios. The downtown area of the city revolves around Quinta Avenida, a busy pedestrian thoroughfare lined with many shops, clubs, and restaurants. The weather is hot year-round. The summer and winter breaks are peak season for tourism.[6]

## Geography

[edit]

Playa del Carmen is located within the Riviera Maya, which runs from south of Cancún to Tulum and the Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve. Playa is a stop for several cruise ships which dock at the nearby Calica quarry docks, about six miles (10 km) south of the city. The Xcaret Eco Park, a Mexican-themed "eco-archaeological park", is just south of the town in Xcaret (pronounced "ish-kar-et").

### Climate

[edit]

In October 2005, Hurricane Wilma passed directly over Playa del Carmen, remaining in the vicinity for two days and causing significant damage and a temporary drop in tourist arrivals. Most of the damage was relatively superficial and repaired within a few weeks of the storm. Hurricane Wilma arrived from the Caribbean Sea, passing over Cozumel before making landfall in Playa del Carmen. It then moved north along the Mexican coast, hitting Cancún especially hard.

Playa del Carmen has a tropical savannah climate (Aw) with June to November receiving most of the precipitation. Summers are hot and year-round with warm nights.

Climate data for Playa del Carmen (1951–2010)

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Record high °C (°F)  | 37.5
(99.5)  | 33.0
(91.4)  | 34.0
(93.2)  | 39.0
(102.2)  | 40.0
(104.0)  | 39.0
(102.2)  | 39.0
(102.2)  | 39.5
(103.1)  | 39.0
(102.2)  | 34.0
(93.2)  | 35.0
(95.0)  | 39.0
(102.2)  | 40.0
(104.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)  | 27.8
(82.0)  | 28.5
(83.3)  | 29.6
(85.3)  | 30.8
(87.4)  | 31.7
(89.1)  | 32.0
(89.6)  | 32.5
(90.5)  | 32.9
(91.2)  | 32.6
(90.7)  | 30.8
(87.4)  | 29.3
(84.7)  | 28.6
(83.5)  | 30.6
(87.1)
Daily mean °C (°F)  | 22.8
(73.0)  | 23.4
(74.1)  | 24.3
(75.7)  | 26.1
(79.0)  | 27.3
(81.1)  | 27.9
(82.2)  | 28.0
(82.4)  | 28.0
(82.4)  | 27.9
(82.2)  | 26.3
(79.3)  | 24.4
(75.9)  | 23.4
(74.1)  | 25.8
(78.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)  | 17.9
(64.2)  | 18.3
(64.9)  | 19.0
(66.2)  | 21.3
(70.3)  | 22.9
(73.2)  | 23.7
(74.7)  | 23.5
(74.3)  | 23.2
(73.8)  | 23.1
(73.6)  | 21.7
(71.1)  | 19.4
(66.9)  | 18.2
(64.8)  | 21.0
(69.8)
Record low °C (°F)  | 8.0
(46.4)  | 7.0
(44.6)  | 5.0
(41.0)  | 10.0
(50.0)  | 15.0
(59.0)  | 14.0
(57.2)  | 13.0
(55.4)  | 15.0
(59.0)  | 14.0
(57.2)  | 13.5
(56.3)  | 11.0
(51.8)  | 9.0
(48.2)  | 5.0
(41.0)
Average rainfall mm (inches)  | 61.2
(2.41)  | 50.5
(1.99)  | 28.1
(1.11)  | 51.2
(2.02)  | 78.1
(3.07)  | 153.0
(6.02)  | 126.3
(4.97)  | 126.3
(4.97)  | 168.8
(6.65)  | 284.3
(11.19)  | 130.3
(5.13)  | 73.1
(2.88)  | 1,331.2
(52.41)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 7.7  | 4.4  | 3.8  | 3.7  | 6.5  | 10.6  | 9.3  | 9.6  | 14.5  | 15.9  | 9.5  | 7.3  | 102.8
Source: Servicio Meteorológico Nacional[7]

## Demographics

[edit]

Various palm trees on white sand beach, Playa del Carmen Historical populationYear| Pop.| ±%

|
|

1995 | 17,621| —
2000 | 43,613| +147.5%
2005 | 100,383| +130.2%
2010 | 149,923| +49.4%
2014 | 186,700| +24.5%
2020 | 304,942| +63.3%
sources:[8]

## Tourism

[edit]

Originally a small fishing town, tourism to Playa del Carmen began with the passenger ferry service to Cozumel, an island across the Cozumel Channel and a scuba diving destination.

## Safety

[edit]

Playa del Carmen is generally a safe travel destination in Mexico. The town is generally secure for most tourists, except for risks such as hurricanes, sunburns, and common tourist scams. "Numbeo" reports that both the Safety Index and Crime Index in Playa del Carmen are in the low-moderate range, with scores of 50.55 and 49.45, respectively.[9]

## Sports

[edit]

The city is home to Inter Playa del Carmen, an association football club founded in 1999. It competes in the south group of the Segunda División Profesional, the third tier of Mexican football league system.

The World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba is a PGA Tour FedEx Cup golf tournament that was held at El Camaleón Golf Club between 2007 and 2023. Since 2013, it has been a full-points tournament where the winner earns full rights for a PGA TOUR win.

## In popular culture

[edit]

Numerous TV series have been filmed and set in Playa del Carmen. The telenovela Peregrina takes place in Playa del Carmen. The Canadian Real Housewives of Vancouver featured Playa del Carmen in two episodes. The US series The Amazing Race was shot on location in Playa del Carmen, and The Celebrity Mole was set in that area. The UK reality series Geordie Shore featured Playa del Carmen. In the American series Spies in Disguise, the Yakuza arms dealer named Katsu Kimura lays low in a hotel in Playa del Carmen.

## See also

[edit]

* Cenote
* Puerto Aventuras
* Río Secreto
* Riviera Maya Jazz Festival

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Playa del Carmen (Solidaridad, Quintana Roo)".
2. ^ "2020 census". inegi.org.mx.
3. ^ "Population of Playa del Carmen 2022 – Mexico". aznations.com. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
4. ^ "Rapid Growth Rates for Playa". All About Playa del Carmen. 2011-03-24. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
5. ^ "Number of tourists by origin Playa del Carmen, Mexico". Statista. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
6. ^ "Best times to visit Playa Del Carmen".
7. ^ "Estado de Quintana Roo-Estacion: Playa del Carmen". Normales Climatologicas 1951–2010 (in Spanish). Servicio Meteorológico Nacional. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
8. ^ "MEXICO: Quintana Roo". Citypopulation.de. 2015-01-08. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
9. ^ "Crime in Playa del Carmen". numbeo.com. Retrieved 2023-05-20.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Playa del Carmen.

* Playa del Carmen travel guide from Wikivoyage

* v
* t
* e

State of Quintana Roo

Chetumal (capital)

Municipalities (seats)|

* Bacalar (Bacalar)
* Benito Juárez (Cancún)
* Cozumel (San Miguel de Cozumel)
* Felipe Carrillo Puerto (Felipe Carrillo Puerto)
* Isla Mujeres (Isla Mujeres)
* José María Morelos (José María Morelos)
* Lázaro Cárdenas (Kantunilkín)
* Othón P. Blanco (Chetumal)
* Puerto Morelos (Puerto Morelos)
* Solidaridad (Playa del Carmen)
* Tulum (Tulum)

Places of interest|

| Caves|

* Sistema Dos Ojos
* Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich
* Sistema Ox Bel Ha
* Sistema Sac Actun

|

Islands|

* Isla Contoy
* Isla Holbox
* Isla Mujeres

Maya sites|

* Chacchoben
* Coba
* Kohunlich
* Muyil
* San Gervasio
* Tulum
* Xcaret
* Xelha
* Yo'okop

Reefs|

* Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park
* Banco Chinchorro

Other|

* Akumal
* Hotel Zone
* Mahahual
* Punta Allen
* Punta Sur
* Riviera Maya
* Sian Kaʼan
* Xcalak
* Yum Balam

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Israel

Geographic|

* MusicBrainz area

Other|

* Yale LUX

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