Newspaper reports have revealed details of the much-awaited Riviera Maya airport plan in Tulum, including the date the project will be put out to tender.

A source at the Mexican Government’s Secretary for Communications and Transport (SCT) told Reuters news agency last week that November 9, 2009, “is the latest date” for publishing the terms of the auction, although other reports suggested a delay could still be possible.

The news is a “boost” for the Riviera Maya real estate market.

In a separate article just days later by Mexico City’s Excelsior newspaper, details were revealed for the project from a SCT document the daily said it had seen.

According to the document, said Excelsior, current investment in Riviera Maya hotel and resort projects could lead to the creation of 2,800 direct jobs per year and the number of visitors to the Riviera Maya could reach 17.9 million tourists in 2025.

The paper went on to quote technical details for the new Riviera Maya international airport in Tulum from the government’s agency for Airports and Auxiliary Services (ASA):

- The airport will be on Riviera Maya real estate in the the municipality of Solidaridad, to the east of Xel-Ha, between Tulum and Playa del Carmen, on the road that goes to Cobá.

- It will be 40 miles (65 km) from Cozumel airport and 63 miles (102 km) from Cancún airport at map coordinates s 20° 20’ 30” (N) and 87° 30’ 30” (W), 10 miles (15.8 km) from the coast at Punta Cadenas, to the south of Tankah. The coordinates show that trees have already been cut back in the area when viewed on satellite imagery from Google Maps.

- The main runway will have orientation to 120°-300° as in Cancun and Cozumel and in accordance with prevailing winds.

- The main runway will be 2.2 miles (3.5km) long by 50 yards (45m) wide, corresponding with international aviation recommendations.

- The total area of the Tulum land for the airport is estimated at 2,644 acres (1,070 hectares).

- The Riviera Maya land where the airport will be built is 20m above sea level.

New estimates suggest the first phase will cost around $120-200 million to construct and the new airport could have a capacity for around 3 million passengers per year.

Local politicians have described the project as an “economic trigger” that will turn Tulum into one of the most prosperous areas in the Mexican Caribbean.

Tulum became an independent municipality last year and new infrastructure projects such as the airport and major highways improvements have been confirmed, causing land prices to rise rapidly.

The airport news leads to some of the best investment opportunities to be found in Mexico, land here is a great buy right now as is most Riviera Maya real estate.

Article from RE/MAX Investment Properties, experts in Riviera Maya real estate. For more information email info [at] investmentpropertiesmexico.com or call Mexico (984) 802-8336 or USA (561) 459-2061.