UPDATE 3-Mexico kicks off Riviera Maya airport

* New airport in Tulum

* Will serve tourists from U.S., Europe

(Adds investment, quote, bylines)

By Cyntia Barrera Diaz and Veronica Gomez Sparrowe

MEXICO CITY, May 11 (Reuters) - Mexico will begin to accept bids in mid-November for the construction and operation of a new international airport south of the tourist hot spot of Cancun on the Caribbean, the government said on Tuesday.

The airport, which would require an investment of some $250 million, will be located in the former fishing town of Tulum, which attracts thousands of visitors from Europe and the United States every year to its white sand beaches, Maya ruins and pristine waters.

The long-delayed airport project is expected to receive 3 million tourists in its third year of operation, the communications and transportation ministry said in a statement.

Airport operators Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASURB.MX) (PAC.N), Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte (OMAB.MX) and Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico (GAPB.MX) (PAC.N) have expressed interest in the tender, deputy transportation minister Humberto Trevino told Radio Formula radio station.

"We believe that three or four consortia will form and submit bids," he said. The winner could be announced in December.

Development of the new airport had been put on hold for many years due to red tape and a complex bidding process.

"Among other benefits, the new airport will reduce travel time from Cancun or Cozumel to other destinations in the Mayan Riviera as well as encouraging diversification of the tourist industry," the government said.

The new airport will have a terminal and a 3,450 meter-long (2.14 miles) tarmac.

Mexico's airline and tourism industries were hit hard last year by a swine flu epidemic that scared away many international visitors, leading to steep losses for carriers, hotels and airport operators alike.

(Reporting by Cyntia Barrera Diaz and Patrick Rucker, editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Phil Berlowitz)