It looks like in the future there could be a new time zone for owners of Playa del Carmen condo, which would include the entire state of Quintana Roo, also affecting Cancun real estate and Tulum real estate owners, as well as a number of other destinations in the state.
This last Tuesday (April 24, 2012) the Mexican senate approved the creation of the new time zone. Currently, like most of Mexico, Playa del Carmen and then entire state of Quintana Roo belong to the Central Time Zone, meaning that the time in the area lines up with cities like Dallas or Winnipeg (except for a couple of weeks in the spring and fall since Daylight Savings Time begins later.)
With the new proposed time zone, the entire state would belong to the Eastern Time Zone, lining up with cities such as Miami, New York, Detroit, Toronto and Montreal.
The proposed change is being justified for two reasons; one is that it would offer a later sunrise and sunset, giving tourists a greater opportunity to enjoy the sunshine which draws most people to the area. Proponents say this would make the area even more competitive with Caribbean Islands for both vacationers and expats.
This same point would reduce energy usage during the evening since less lighting would be necessary in the hours after the (later) sunset time. It would also (according to senators) promote a greater number and variety of recreational activities in the evening, which is ideal for an economy based on tourism.
The other reason is that it makes Cancun International Airport, the main access point for the region, coincide with a greater number of major airports in the United States (22) and Canada (8), again being more attractive to a greater number of travelers.
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Playa Del Carmen says
It’s really amazing that a change in time zones will affect tourism, real estate and even lifestyles in Playa del Carmen. Once Playa del Carmen shifts to the new time zone it will be interesting to see how the changes will take effect.