Above: the JW Marriott in Cancun

By the Caribbean Journal staff

One of the Caribbean region’s largest tourist destinations has a new time zone.

Following two years of lobbying efforts, the Mexican state of Quintana Roo launched officially joined Eastern Standard Time on Sunday.

“Cancun is excited to welcome this time change, which will allow our visitors to take advantage of one more hour in our beautiful destination,” said Jesus Almaguer, CEO of the Cancun CVB. “The added sunlight should also generate reductions in electricity use for hotels and restaurants in the area, which aligns with Cancun’s turquoise conservation initiative.”

The CVB said the change would mean “added sunlight each day,” something it said hoteliers and service providers believe will result in economic benefits.

It also said the move would “strengthen Cancun’s competitiveness” with other Caribbean destinations that run on EST, including the Bahamas, Cuba and Jamaica.

Cancun is also the largest tourist destination in Mexico.