Cancún Generates US$6.6 Billion From International Tourism

Cancún, Quintana Roo — International tourism generated US$6.6 billion for Cancún during the first half of the year, accounting for 44.6% of Mexico’s total international tourism revenue, according to an analysis by the Advanced Research Center for Sustainable Tourism (Starc) at Anáhuac Cancún University.

A total of 4,240,283 international passengers arrived at Cancún International Airport during the period. Nationwide, international tourism revenue reached US$15.06 billion despite a difficult stretch for the aviation industry.

US and Canada lead visitor numbers

From January through May, the United States accounted for 35.8% of international arrivals to Cancún, followed by Canada with 16.3%. Other significant markets included the United Kingdom (2.2%) and Argentina (1.9%), with the remainder coming mainly from Colombia, Germany, Spain and Chile.

Cancún International Airport maintains direct flights to 37 U.S. cities, eight Canadian cities, 14 Latin American destinations and 16 European destinations, served by 40 airlines.

Despite a recent contraction in air arrivals, Cancún remains Mexico’s top earner of foreign currency from international air travel. Its revenue share continues to far exceed its share of total visitor volume, underscoring the destination’s strategic importance to Mexico’s tourism balance of payments.

Expanding connectivity

State Tourism Secretary Bernardo Cueto Riestra said officials are working to expand air connectivity with Brazil to take advantage of the electronic visa Mexico began granting Brazilian visitors in February. He also said at least a dozen seasonal European flights to the Mexican Caribbean are expected to resume for the winter season.