Cozumel will put the clocks forward permanently by 1 hour, this weekend, as Mexico creates a new time zone in the south-east of the country.

The whole of the state of Quintana Roo will make the change at 2am on Sunday, February 1, 2015.

The change follows a new Mexican federal law, aimed to bring economic and environmental benefits to the region by reducing energy consumption and allowing tourists more daylight hours for activities.

It will also mean the zone is on US and Canada's Eastern Time for almost all of the year, the same as Miami, New York and Toronto, which proponents say will benefit the tourism industry.

The law was given final approval by the Mexican government last December and will take effect on February 1.

Despite some local media reports to the contrary, no change has been made to the summer time law. Advisors involved in the approval of the new law told This is Cozumel that Quintana Roo will continue to apply daylight savings time in the summer months and will change the clocks on the same dates as the rest of Mexico, which are a few weeks out of sync with the United States and Canada.

If you're arriving on a cruise you can find more information about Cozumel and cruise ship time in our Tourist Information section.