Mexican Caribbean Hotels Hit 70% Occupancy

Cancún, Mexico — The hotel sector is reporting an increase in tourist occupancy, now reaching levels above 70% in Cancún, Puerto Morelos, and Isla Mujeres during the final part of 2025. This was confirmed by Jesús Almaguer Salazar, former president of the Hotel Association of Cancún, Puerto Morelos, and Isla Mujeres (AHCPMIM).

“Bookings are moving for December, and the first quarter of the year looks good,” stated Almaguer Salazar. “We obviously trust that the issue of visas for Brazil will become a reality so we can count on a percentage of travelers from South America.”

Drop in U.S. Tourism

Almaguer acknowledged that this year saw a decline in tourism from the United States, which necessitates reinforcing promotion in that market, as other destinations—such as the Dominican Republic—are capitalizing on the lack of advertising from the Mexican Caribbean.

Rodrigo de la Peña, president of the AHCPMIM, agreed that the outlook for 2026 is positive, though he insisted on addressing the reduction in visitors from the United States, the primary source market for the region.

“In the summer there was indeed a drop of about 10 percentage points; we must tell things as they are,” said de la Peña. “But we see the winter season very positively, with a trend of last-minute bookings, and there are also last-minute cancellations because the market is very competitive, both in the Dominican Republic and all over the world.”

Data on the Descent in Air Routes

The downward trend mentioned by the leaders coincides with a report from the Center for Advanced Research in Sustainable Tourism (STARC), which points to declines in air transportation from the United States to Cancún.

According to STARC, the routes with the greatest decline between January and September are:

• Chicago–Cancún: -15%
• Panama–Cancún: -7.4%
• Dallas–Cancún: -5.8%
• New York–Cancún: -3.8%
• Atlanta–Cancún: -2.1%

Domestic Traffic Also Presents Declines

In the domestic market, decreases in flights to Cancún were also registered during the same period:

• Toluca–Cancún: -10%
• Mexico City–Cancún: -5.8%
• AIFA–Cancún: -5.2%
• Monterrey–Cancún: -4.6%