The new $30 million Marina Cozumel will be inaugurated by Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón on March 14, 2012. The project is being touted as one of the most important new pieces of infrastructure to be built in the region in recent months, and is expected to create a wide variety of new tourism incentives for the island of Cozumel, which lies in the Mexican Caribbean just off the eastern coast of the country’s stunning Yucatan Peninsula. 

The importance of the new Marina in Cozumel is underscored by Calderón’s presence, and a number of new resorts are planned for the surrounding area over the coming years. In addition, there is talk of a new cruise ship dock that will be built north of the new marina, which will undoubtedly lend additional support to the island’s appeal as a tourist destination. 

“We are a municipality identified for the care of our ecosystem and take every opportunity we have, seeking harmony between environmental protection and development of the destination,” stated Cozumel’s mayor Joaquín González in a statement addressing concerns about the new marina’s potential environmental impact.

The new marina project is expected to attract upwards of $190 million in private investment money, and to directly generate 1,000 jobs, and to create around 4,000 additional jobs indirectly. The project includes a marina with more than 333 berths of 60 feet in length, along with 75 saleable lots for residential and commercial use. In addition, the project includes a boardwalk, as well as walking and bicycle paths.

Cozumel’s new marina will provide a recognizable tourism corridor for visiting cruise ship passengers, and will provide a modern, safe and comfortable marina that will help to integrate Cozumel real estate as part of the Caribbean sailing circuit. The new harbor is situated next to the island’s existing Caleta marina, which lies just a few short minutes south of downtown.