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The notoriety of Cancun and the Mexican Caribbean as a travel hotspot this year is definitely understated. The beach resort destination has been breaking records all year long and is already shaping up to end the year strong.
The popularity of the region for travelers has not gone unnoticed by travel providers.
Both hotels and airlines are scrambling to keep up with the strong demand from travelers looking to spend a vacation getaway in Cancun, and a major U.S. airline has added a record number of Cancun flights this year.
With the peak fall and winter travel season right around the corner, airlines are repositioning themselves to transport sun seekers looking to escape the winter’s cold to the beautiful beaches of the Mexican Caribbean.
United We Fly
The airline best positioned to capture much of the airline traffic to Cancun and other Mexican Caribbean hotspots this holiday season appears to be United Airlines.
According to an official news release from the airline, United Airlines has upped its passenger capacity to Mexico by more than 15 percent over the winter of last year. It also claims to be the largest carrier to the Riviera Maya region.
A big part of that commitment to transport travelers to Mexico exists in the 200 weekly flights on the United Airlines schedule from eight different cities across the United States, the most in the airline’s history.
The United Airlines flight schedule includes daily flights from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE).
It is also highlighted by flights on United’s long-haul Boeing 777 wide-body super jet from Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Denver International Airport (DIA) and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston (IAH).
Other cities with United Airlines flights to Cancun this winter includes Los Angeles (LAX), Newark (EWR), San Francisco (SFO) and Washington – Dulles (IAD).
The airline also announced additional flights from San Francisco with two daily departures to Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos.
Record Number of Visitors Expected
It’s already shaping up to be quite a busy fall and winter holiday peak travel season for Cancun and the Mexican Caribbean.
Not only are the additional flights and schedule commitments from United Airlines demonstrating the trend. The already strong numbers of travelers vacationing in Cancun prior to the start of the peak season bodes well for a busy season.
In fact, local reports are that more than 60,000 beachgoers visited the beaches of Cancun in the month of October alone.
The new Tulum International Airport opening in December will also have a significant impact on the number of travelers spending their holidays on the beaches of the Mexican Caribbean.
Although initially those will be domestic flights carrying some international travelers connecting in Mexico City when the airport opens for service in December.
Direct flights from the United States to Tulum International Airport are not expected to start until sometime in March when both Delta Airlines and Spirit Airlines have announced non-stop flights.
Delta’s flights non-stop to Tulum will be from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport (ATL), while Spirit Airlines’ schedule has yet to be announced.
What Travelers Can Expect
Visitors who are planning to come to Cancun and the Mexican Caribbean for a beach resort vacation getaway during the holidays need to really start planning their trips now.
The prices for rooms are already well over $300 per night at many of the popular luxury and all-inclusive beachside resorts across the Mexican Caribbean and are expected to climb over the next few weeks.
Prices for airfares to Cancun International Airport are also starting to increase as visitors plan their vacation now that November has arrived.
The additional flight options to Cancun from airlines like United Airlines may keep the prices moderate. However, they too will increase as the demand picks up and flights at the most convenient times and direct routes fill up.
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