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Cancun has set a new record high for number of tourist arrivals since the pandemic began. In the month of March, the Cancun International Airport recorded over 1.5 million passengers which is the highest number of arrivals in over a year.
What came as an even bigger surprise was the fact that the number of domestic arrivals were actually up 5% from 2019 levels.
While International tourist arrivals are still down 49% from pre-pandemic levels, domestic tourism has now seen a complete recovery and even growth in 2021.
ASUR who manages the Cancun International airport recorded 692,686 domestic tourists and 877,579 international tourists for a total of 1,570,265 total visitors for the month of March.
Easter hotel occupancy ended up exceeding expectations finishing at 60% for the weekend. Based on the successful Easter season in Cancun, officials are now expecting summer occupancy levels to reach over 75% in the resort city.
The Governor of Quintana Roo predicted that over 635,000 tourists arrived in Cancun over the Easter holidays.
Mazatlán, Los Cabos, Tijuana and Cancun all had increases in domestic tourism over 2019 levels. Tijuana, whose airport has had one of the fastest recoveries of the pandemic served 536,000 passengers in March which is an increase of 8 percent compared to the same period two years ago.
The Mazatlán International Airport reported a staggering 22% growth in domestic arrivals over 2019 pre-pandemic levels during Easter week. Los Cabos also saw growth of 1% in domestic arrivals.
Mexico Continues To Dominate Pandemic Tourism Without Canadian Tourists
Canada has long been one of Mexico’s main tourism markets but it was effectively erased earlier this year when the Canadian government introduced a flight ban to Mexico and hotel quarantine for Canadians returning home.
While the Canadian tourism market sits idle, Americans have still been traveling to Mexico in droves. The destinations of Cancun, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Tijuana are still seeing hundreds of thousands of American arrivals every month.
In a recent move, Cancun increased air connectivity with Europe to bolster tourist arrivals that had been lost from the Canadian market.
Mexico has continued its relaxed entry requirements throughout the pandemic only requiring that international arrivals fill out a health declaration form prior to arrival.
Mexico hoteliers and tourism operators also quickly reacted to testing measures announced by the U.S. government for returning international travelers. While Americans now need proof of a negative rapid Covid-19 test, most resorts are offering them free of charge for guests and some are even providing those who test positive with free accommodations for 14 days.
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