Mexican Caribbean Tourism Officials Seek to Revive Colombian Market After Sharp Decline

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Tourism representatives from the Mexican Caribbean are attending a trade fair in Colombia this week in an effort to revive a market that has plummeted by 60% in recent years.

According to the Center for Advanced Research in Sustainable Tourism (STARC) at Anáhuac University, the number of Colombian travelers arriving at Cancún International Airport in 2025 hit its lowest level since 2019, excluding the 2020 pandemic lockdowns that devastated global tourism.

Statistical data shows that Colombian arrivals to Quintana Roo peaked in 2022 with 398,630 tourists. The following year saw a decline to 315,012, and in 2024, the number dropped further to 219,811. In 2025, arrivals fell to 159,411—the lowest volume since 2019. Despite the decrease, Colombia remained the fifth-largest source market for the Mexican Caribbean, behind the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Argentina.

The decline also meant Quintana Roo lost its status as the primary entry point for Colombian visitors to Mexico. In 2022, the state captured 52% of this market, but by 2025, that share had fallen to 37%.

Industry sources attribute the drop to years of poor treatment of Colombian travelers at airport immigration counters. Authorities have addressed this by providing training courses for agents who approve or deny entry into the country.

Jesús Almaguer Salazar, former president of the hotel associations in Cancún, Puerto Morelos, and Isla Mujeres, said cases of mistreatment decreased by the end of 2025 but emphasized that more work is needed. He noted that 2026 presents a significant opportunity to attract Colombian tourists due to the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

With the Mexican Caribbean serving as the featured destination at this year’s tourism fair organized by the Colombian Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (Anato), hotel sector representatives announced they will highlight training efforts at airports. They have also requested that the Mexican government implement a reciprocity policy to simplify entry procedures for Colombian visitors, granting them the same ease of travel that Mexicans receive when visiting Colombia.