New statistics reveal that Cancun continues to be the most popular destination for international travelers in Mexico as hotels in the area are preparing for a record-breaking summer season. Meanwhile, Cancun International Airport welcomed over 4 million international tourists in the first five months of the year, putting it far ahead of other destinations in Mexico when it comes to international travel.
Cancun and the state of Quintana Roo have seen a strong post-pandemic recovery in international travel arrivals, consolidating their leading position in the Mexican tourism industry. The trend is expected to continue well into the summer as North Americans flock there for their annual holidays, and Cancun was recently revealed as one of the top international destinations for U.S tourists this summer.
Flying remains the most popular form of traveling to Cancun, and the city’s international airport is seeing hundreds of daily arrivals as the summer travel season kicks off. With 4 million foreign travelers, the airport received 2.5 times more tourists compared to the 1.6 million passengers in Mexico City International Airport. Although Cancun’s airport is seeing more and more passengers, authorities are working to ensure minimal wait times at immigration and customs checks, an issue that plagued travelers earlier this year.
The new travel figures show that tourists are no longer putting off their vacation plans due to COVID and that international travel has made a strong comeback. Mexico has welcomed 101% more tourists than it did last year during the same period, and this summer may see the 2019 record broken at the national level. Cancun has already rached that milestone this year, with 10% more tourists visiting it than in the corresponding period in 2019, the last year before the pandemic put a halt to international travel.
Mexico’s most popular destinations – Cancun, Mexico City, and Los Cabos – welcomed 6.52 million international travelers through their airports in the first five months of the year. Together, these destinations represent 77% of all international travel to Mexico, and Cancun alone has a whopping share of 47% of all international tourists in the country.
Meanwhile, the United States is by far the most significant country for Cancun tourism, and the city welcomed 2.33 million Americans in the first five months of the year. The figures also indicate that nearly half of all Americans headed to Mexico choose to spend their holidays in Cancun.
Americans have consistently ranked Cancun as one of the top international destinations thanks to its blue-flag-certified beaches, vibrant nightlife in the Cancun Hotel Zone, as well as a variety of all-inclusive hotels.
Canada is the second most important source of international tourists in Cancun. Up to 55% of all Canadian visitors in Mexico headed to Cancun, demonstrating the excellent flights connections between the Caribbean destination and large Canadian cities, and more flights are expected to be announced for the winter season.
On top of international travelers, Cancun is also popular among domestic travelers who head there to enjoy Quintan Roo’s rich history and varied landscape. Moreover, tourism authorities are predicting strong growth in the European market this summer, and new direct flights were recently announced from Barcelona.
As a result of Cancun’s growing popularity among international travelers, the federal government has announced new massive infrastructure projects to reduce traffic in the area and improve the condition of its main roads. A new mega-bridge connecting Cancun’s hotel zone to the city center is also being built, which will help alleviate packed streets in the popular resort district.
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