New Strategies Seek To Elevate High Tourist Volume’s Issues
The Tourism Secretary of Quintana Roo has announced that the government is building a process to help streamline the entry process at the Cancun International Airport. The announcement is yet another development in Cancun’s ongoing tourism boom.
Currently, the Cancun International Airport is the only hub serving the bulk of the main destinations in the state. Although Cancun is the most popular destination, Tulum, Playa del Carmen and several other towns are all having successful years yet rely on the sole airport.
Tulum will be receiving its own airport in the near future which will be a huge bonus for the seaside town, but until then Cancun is left to deal with millions of tourists on its own.
Bernardo Cueto Riestra, the tourism secretary, is currently working with the airport operators ASUR to help work out kinks in the immigration, customs, and security processes.
Riestra said of the initiative:
“We make a lot of effort to attract visitors, and that is why once they are here, it is our priority to make them feel good from the moment they arrive at the airport with prompt attention. We must work hard to streamline migration processes. We are going to support each other with assistance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to advance these processes and other airport operation issues. What is intended is to avoid the bottlenecks with the arrival of tourists”.
At this point, it is unclear what the new processes will look like or how effective they may be, but it is hoped that the immediate arrival experience for first-time visitors, in particular, will become much easier.
Cancun has enjoyed an extremely successful year, partly due to Mexico’s relaxed direction in terms of welcoming visitors during the pandemic, but the city is clearly seeking to cling on to some of its newer visitor demographics. Seemingly small changes to systems such as the entry process can greatly impact growing markets, instilling tourist confidence in the region.
The year has not been without its speed bumps, and the government has been relatively quick to counteract some of the more troubling situations. A spike in gang violence in the region led to the creation of a new branch of the national guard, named the Tourist Security Battalion. The 1500 strong force now patrols major tourist spots in Quintana Roo to help prevent any further escalation.
The pandemic is still a tough beast to navigate for economies trying to stay open while remaining safe, and Cancun felt the brunt of Mexico’s more open stance over the winter period. Millions flooded into the region helping to make it one of the most successful years in Cancun’s history but left a gargantuan growth in infection rate. This, in turn, led to a return to the yellow and then orange levels on Mexico’s epidemiological traffic light system.
The town is coping well with the restrictions and most tourists remain unfazed by any drops in hotel or restaurant capacity. Even recent violence, like the daylight double murder of two criminals at hotel Xcaret, appears to be taken in context by most visitors despite a travel advisory from the US.
The new proposals for the airport will only add to visitor faith in the area if they are implemented well and could help mark another stepping stone to cement Cancun’s place at the top of the world’s most popular tourist destinations well beyond the pandemic.
There is no current timeline for the new systems, and any travelers to Cancun are strongly advised to check on restrictions as they may change quickly. Checking with hotel policies and infection rates is always recommended.
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Tony
Wednesday 2nd of March 2022
Pleased to see that some efforts are being made to reduce the awful delays at Cancun Immigration.When one spends 6-8 hours flying to Cancun and then is forced to wait for over an hour or sometimes longer at immigration leaves a bad impression on Mexico.
Paul Scales
Sunday 6th of February 2022
I missed a travel to Cancun three times in the last 21/2 years.
Timothy Russell
Wednesday 2nd of February 2022
Both times that I've flown into the Cancun airport, it has been a confusing chaotic cattle call to get through the lines at Immigration. I'm glad someone is paying attention and trying to address the mess!