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Cancun is just getting past a very busy start to the year and according to predictions, its beaches will be packed again this summer, as the city is expecting 3 million-plus tourists. Both the spring break season and the Easter holiday brought an unexpected number of visitors to Cancun and the Riviera Maya, and even now hotels still have high occupancy numbers. The surge in tourism in the first part of 2022 has a lot to do with the fact that Covid-19 restrictions are being lifted throughout the world and more people are traveling.
Many of the tourists that visited Cancun for Spring break and the Easter holiday weeks came from the U.S. and Canada, both countries which previously had travel bans that have since been discontinued. Now that summer is just around the corner tourist officials in the Mexican Caribbean are expecting millions of visitors from European countries. The number of tourists expected is predicted to rival those numbers seen during the first busy season of the year.
In 2021 Cancun welcomed more than 2.8 million visitors during the summer months and this year is expected to be even busier now that there are fewer restrictions in place. Some hotels in Cancun are already booked at 100 percent capacity for the beginning of July when the summer season officially starts. If things continue along this trend, we can expect the beaches of Cancun to be packed this summer.
Fortunately, the beaches are not the only thing to see when visiting Cancun and the Riviera Maya area. Often when the beaches are packed locals visit the nearby cenotes and visitors can explore these natural wonders too. A cenote is a natural sinkhole that fills with water to transform into a unique place to take a swim. Cenotes are fed from underground rivers and rain that filters through the surrounding limestone. There are more than 6,000 of these sinkholes throughout the Yucatan peninsula so visitors ready to explore do not have to go far to find one.
When the beaches are packed it’s a great time to explore the history of the area as well. Visitors can explore Mayan culture and history by visiting the various ruins throughout the peninsula, many of which are surrounded by breathtaking jungle land. In these areas nature and history combine, providing for the ultimate adventure that offers a different look into the culture of Cancun, the Riviera Maya, and beyond.
The amazing beaches, with their white sand and calm aqua-blue waters, are what bring so many tourists to Cancun every year. During Easter week alone this year more than a million visitors enjoyed those beaches and filled the rooms in the Cancun Hotel Zone. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic the city and the surrounding areas were breaking records for the numbers of visitors flooding the area.
This upcoming summer season will be more proof that the pandemic is coming to an end and travel is once again getting back to normal. Just recently the United States ended its mask mandate for individuals flying or using public transportation, and although that ruling is being appealed, it’s just more proof that many are ready to get back to normal. People everywhere have been waiting to travel again and the numbers in Cancun show that this is exactly what so many are doing.
The beaches in Cancun look like they are going to stay packed for a while, which is great news for the tourist industry but for those looking for a break from the crowds it won’t be found there. This leaves the perfect opportunity to explore more of what Cancun and the Riviera Maya have to offer.
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