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This week, the Quintana Roo tourism board announced five new direct routes to Cancun from Edmonton, London Ontario, Moncton, Ottawa and Regina. The new flights are set to debut in November, alongside an increase in flights that connect Toronto with Cancun. These routes are designed to accommodate the larger numbers of Canadians in need of a tropical getaway during the harsh winter months, especially as restrictions from the Covid-19 pandemic have lessened.
The director of the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council (CPTQ), Dario Flota, stated the importance of these new routes in improving Canadian tourism:
“Facing the end of the year and our strongest season, winter, we intensify the promotion of the Mexican Caribbean to share news about tourist destinations to Canadian travel agents”.
He also described how direct flights currently arrive in Quintana Roo from various cities in Canada, including Calgary, Kitchener, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Currently, Toronto, Ottowa and Montreal send the highest number of tourists to Cancun, but Canada’s new routes are designed to connect new travelers to Cancun from previously inaccessible airports.
The decision to increase the number of routes connecting Canadian cities with Cancun comes as a result of a larger effort by Mexican-Caribbean hoteliers to increase the level of Canadian tourism throughout the region. Currently, Americans make up the majority of tourists, with Canadians following behind as a close second.
To promote tourism in Quintana Roo for Canadian travellers, the CPTQ is set to present a tourism campaign alongside 18 Mexican-Caribbean hoteliers. This campaign is set to introduce Canadian travellers to the different types of vacation available in Quintana Roo, from relaxing beach getaways to action-packed amusement-park packages.
The campaigns are set to take place in Toronto and Montreal, as well as the capital city of Canada, Ottawa. Tour operators and airlines will also be invited to discuss how best to promote tourist links between the Mexican-Caribbean and Canada. Hospitality newcomers from Cozumel and the Riviera Maya will be present in the campaigns, to establish themselves as reliable accommodation within the Mexican-Caribbean.
An official from the CPTQ stated that 150 separate meetings will take place with different travel agents and tour companies next month, to ensure the recovery of Canadian winter tourism in 2023.
Canada is not the only country to increase the frequency of winter flights to Quintana Roo. In early August, German travel company TUI announced they would schedule up to 12 weekly flights between the United Kingdom and Cancun, from November 2022. They are also set to organise 8 weekly flights from other European destinations, including Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
The Canadian budget airline, Flair, also announced a new twice-weekly route set to connect Toronto Pearson Airport with Cancun from November 3rd. One-way fares are set to begin at just $109 CAD (or $85 USD).
In 2019, the CPTQ recorded the arrival of 1.2 million Canadian travellers throughout Quintana Roo. Mexican-Caribbean hoteliers are now hoping to increase the number of tourists from this pre-pandemic figure. With 700 thousand Canadians arriving in Quintana Roo so far, the new flight paths will hopefully contribute to more Canadians visiting the Mexican-Caribbean this winter.
Correction: This article originally stated that Air Canada was launching the flight routes. This has been corrected to reflect that it will be multiple airlines in Canada.
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Sohani
Saturday 3rd of September 2022
We like to have more flights going to different cities in Mexico, like cancun, Puerto Vallarta, cozumel, Mayan Riviera and many more