Cancun Is The Second Most Visited Destination Worldwide

Last Updated 2 years ago

Cancun was named the ‘second most visited destination worldwide’ by the consulting firm ForwardKeys. Whilst Dubai secured the top spot, this accolade has helped boost tourism numbers in Cancun even further, helping to cement the city as a much-loved vacation hub for years to come.

ForwardKeys is a travel consultancy company, founded in 2010. On occasion, it examines the number of boarding passes purchased worldwide and maps the popularity of certain destinations with the data gathered.

Leading into 2022, the consultancy firm found that Cancun did not just have the most boarding passes purchased for a destination in Mexico: it also had the second-most purchases of boarding passes worldwide. It was huge news for the gem of Quintana Roo, as it beat out several other global vacation hotspots for the second-best spot.

Cancun was not the only city in Mexico to make it to the Top 20 most popular destinations worldwide: Mexico City also achieved position 16 in the list. As expected, other infamous destinations worldwide also made the Top 30, including New York, Paris and Amsterdam.

The Governor of Quintana Roo, Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez, was overjoyed with the announcement, stating on December 15th, 2021:

“It is with great pride that I share this news with you… This achievement belongs to the people of Quintana Roo!”.

Cancun has clearly achieved this accolade by being one of the most diverse places for travel in the world. The city is well known for being a hotspot for twenty-somethings looking to experience a fun-filled spring break, as well as being a great option for a group vacation with friends or family. However, the city has also made great strides this year in welcoming remote workers with open arms – especially as it is just a short flight away from the United States.

Cancun’s airport is another reason tourists have flocked to the city in droves: In 2019, the airport only transported 17.7 million passengers, whereas it has already accommodated 20 million passengers from January to September of this year.

This is an increase of 13.7%, allowing for more travellers to fly in and out of Cancun quickly and efficiently. As of this year, it is the largest point of entry for international travellers throughout Mexico, surpassing Mexico City’s International Airport.

To increase airport capacity this summer, Cancun’s International Airport also hired more staff to cut down waiting times during immigration and customs checks. This has ensured that visitors to Cancun experience less time waiting in airport queues and more time experiencing the wonder of the Mexican-Caribbean – which is a contributing factor toward visitors returning for a second time.

In total, passenger traffic in Cancun (including both domestic and international arrivals and departures), currently stands at 20,217 million. This represents an increase of 45% compared to last year and is a growth of 13.7% compared to 2019 (prior to the pandemic).

Cancun is not the only destination in the Mexican-Caribbean to report a huge recovery in the tourism sector since pandemic travel restrictions have been lifted. Playa del Carmen and Tulum broke through previous records after receiving over 822 thousand vacationers from June to August this year. This is the largest number of tourists that the two cities have seen since the onset of Covid-19 restrictions, with only 625 thousand visiting in the same months of 2019.

The tropical paradise of Isla Mujeres has also achieved an impressive amount of tourism this year alone. It’s clear to see why the World Travel Awards named it the ‘Best Island Destination In Mexico’ for 2022: with stunning beachside resorts and endless cultural and culinary experiences, the island caters to the needs of each individual visitor.

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