As recently as the early 1990s, Tulum was a quiet village 2 km (1.5 mi) from the archaeological site, and tourism outside of the ruins was limited to a few small shops and simple cabañas on the beach. As of the 2020 census, population of Tulum municipality has grown to 46,721 permanent inhabitants with the addition of a number of residential developments in the jungle areas nearest Tulum's downtown.[2] With the rapid increase in tourism, vacation rentals, small hotels and hostels, as well as restaurants and bars, the town is getting more and more popular. Grocery stores, boutiques, bicycle rentals, gyms, tour operators, banks, ATMs, internet cafes, and various other commercial stores are available in Tulum town. Spanish Language Schools are popular in Tulum.[3]
Two kilometers from the town center, the "hotel zone" of boutique hotels and restaurants on the Tulum beach has grown to over 70 hotels.[5] Most of them are cabañas built in the traditional Maya style with thatched palm roofs though there are some more high end hotels as well. There are many new restaurants, particularly on the jungle side of the road, some of which have received significant praise in the international press.[6] There are also a few beach clubs and public beaches. Due to the increasing popularity of the place, the inexpensive cabañas with hammocks that could be rented some years ago are not available anymore, the prices now have gone very high, especially on the "hotel zone". Most accommodations remain rustic-style, but electricity in the "hotel zone" arrived in 2020 with most of the hotels and main restaurants now making use of it.[citation needed]
