including Ultramar, in the face of the veto by Cofece
MA | Cancun | August 31, 2024
Leave a comment
RELATED TOPICS: Cancun, Cofece, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Monopoly, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Ultramar, Xcaret, Hotel Zone
The Federal Economic Competition Commission (Cofece) denied Grupo Xcaret the purchase of four companies that operate ferry routes in Quintana Roo, including the Ultramar shipping company.
In a statement published on Thursday, August 29, Cofece stated that this decision was taken because the purchase of these shipping companies would reduce the number of service providers and would cause a monopoly in this sector.
According to Cofece, the rejected operations consisted of the purchase of companies that operated routes between Puerto Juárez and Isla Mujeres; between the Hotel zone of Cancún and Isla Mujeres, and between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen.
Regarding the Zona Hotelera – Isla Mujeres route, Cofece determined that this purchase would allow Grupo Xcaret to raise prices or reduce the quality of its services without consumers having any other alternative.
Regarding the Cozumel-Playa del Carmen route, Cofece estimated that the operation would have resulted in the formation of a duopoly that would have reduced competition and would have translated into higher prices, fewer options and frequency of Trips.
Finally, Cofece highlighted the importance of this service by emphasizing that in 2023 alone, almost two million people used ferries to Travel to Cozumel and more than half a million passengers traveled by ferry to the Hotel zone of Cancun.
“As part of the new phase of economic competition policy, Cofece reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that competition brings tangible benefits to the population, using its tools to the maximum to avoid the creation of market structures that are harmful to Mexicans,” said the Commission.
It should be remembered that at the beginning of the year, Cofece summoned various maritime transport companies in Quintana Roo, which it is investigating for monopolistic practices in their services, as it announced REPORTUR.us (QRoo: Shipping companies would be sanctioned for monopolistic practices).
