In March, Mexico welcomed 10.8 percent more international visitors compared to the same month in 2023, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi). The Survey of International Travellers (EVI) revealed that a total of 7.60 million visitors entered Mexico in the third month of the year. Of these, 4.12 million were tourists, an increase from the 3.73 million tourists who visited in March 2023.

This growth was primarily driven by international tourists, who stay at least one night in the country. These tourists, classified as internment and border tourists, made up 54.33 percent of the total visitors. In March, the number of international air tourists increased by 9.8 percent year on year, while border tourists — those who enter by car or on foot — increased by 19.8 percent. However, the number of visitors entering the country by land decreased by 13.4 percent compared to the previous year.

According to data, the second most popular mode of transport for international visitors was air travel, with 2.47 million internment tourists. This was followed by cruise ships with 1.83 million visitors, cars with 1.77 million people, and land travel with a total of 0.31 million internment tourists.

Despite the overall increase in visitors, the number of foreign visitors arriving in Mexico in March was still below pre-pandemic levels. The number of excursionists was 28.09 percent lower, while the number of international tourists was 2.04 percent lower than before the Covid-19 crisis.

In terms of revenue, international visitors brought in a total of 3,487 million dollars in March, an increase of 11.3 percent compared to the same month in 2023. Tourists spent a total of 3,257 million dollars, with 95.6 percent of this spending coming from internment tourists and 4.4 percent from border tourists.

The average expenditure per tourist in March was 458.83 dollars, a monthly decrease of 4.28 percent but an annual increase of 5.38 percent. Compared to pre-pandemic levels, the average expenditure has grown by 64.51 percent. However, when adjusted for inflation and currency appreciation, the real growth in average expenditure was 5.46 percent.

In contrast, 4.9 million Mexicans travelled abroad in March, a 25.8 percent increase from the same month in 2023. Of these, 1.27 million were international tourists who spent at least one night abroad.

In the first quarter of the year, Mexico saw a total of 21.01 million foreign visitors, marking a growth of 11.7 percent compared to the same period in the previous year.