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It’s going to be a busy winter holiday season in the beach resort destination towns in the Mexican Caribbean.
In fact, Cancun will be one of the top three airports in Mexico with the most traveler capacity from international markets.
Together Cancun, Mexico City, and Guadalajara will have more than 73 million available international plane seats this year, or about 73 percent of the total for the entire country.
That’s not even incorporating the more than 3.5 million new seats expected when 55 routes and 500 new flights get added in the next couple of months after the United States Department of Transportation elevated Mexican airlines from safety level two to level one, the highest possible level.
Cancun Dominates Flights
Two of the busiest international routes to Mexico this year involved the Cancun International Airport.
Dallas to Cancun was number one in the country, with 696,677 total passenger seats available. That was followed by Los Angeles to Guadalajara with 654,550 and Toronto to Cancun with 626,585.
For airports located in Quintana Roo, the state where Cancun and the Rivera Maya are located, that equates to a growth of 12.51 percent in passenger seats compared to 18.2 percent in the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic.
This also comes after Cancun increased the number of available passenger seats between December 2021 and January 2022, an increase of 20 percent more available seats to more than 17 million available.
Travelers Keep Coming to Cancun
A total of eight million more passengers arrived at the Cancun International Airport between January and June 2023.
A majority of those passengers came from the United States, then the domestic Mexican market, followed by Canada.
However, the growth rate at the Cancun International Airport is expected to fall from 12.51 percent to about 6 percent, according to Javier Aranda Pedrero, head of the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council (CPTQ).
It’s not that Cancun is becoming less popular with international visitors. It’s just that there is new competition coming, the Tulum International Airport.
The New Kid on the Block
The Cancun International Airport will probably welcome the new kid on the block when it comes to airports in the Mexican Caribbean.
Tulum International Airport is expected to take some of the strain off the Cancun International Airport when it opens in December.
The airport in Cancun was already pushed to its limit and was trying to find new ways to accommodate the never-ending growth in travelers coming for a vacation getaway in the Mexican Caribbean.
Between the two airports, without the additional service coming online due to the elevation of the safety level from two to one, 3.8 million passenger seats were available from September 1 to November 30 at the two Quintana Roo airports.
However, Tulum International Airport will not be able to accept that capacity as it is scheduled for its first flights in December.
Win-Win for Mexican Caribbean Holiday Travelers
For international tourists, especially those from the United States, the multitude of available passenger seats could mean relatively affordable flights heading into the peak winter holiday season.
After all, more passenger seats can help keep the prices low if demand remains relatively steady.
With all of the airlines from the United States adding capacity, such as new flights announced by Frontier Airlines and American Airlines, along with the brand-new flights coming soon from the Mexican carriers, the demand/supply balance looks like it may be shifting in favor of the travelers to the Mexican Caribbean.
With more flights and lower fares, it could definitely be a true win-win for tourists seeking a deal for their winter holiday vacation getaway to the beach resort destination.
It should also be able to balance out the high room rates now spiking for accommodations in the beach resort destination.
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