Quintana Roo’s Easter Tourism Breaks Records

Cancun, QRoo — The tourist destinations of Quintana Roo are experiencing the Easter holiday season, one of the most important of the year, and have exceeded the projection of receiving more than 1.2 million tourists and an economic impact of 1 billion dollars that had been anticipated.

On Saturday, March 28, 749 air operations were reported between the international airports of Cancun, Tulum, Cozumel and Chetumal, more than half of which correspond to international flights arriving mainly from the United States and Canada.

The largest influx of visitors is expected in Cancún, a relatively young tourist destination that will celebrate its 56th anniversary on April 20th, but already boasts 215 hotels with over 4,000 rooms. Throughout Quintana Roo, primarily its 12 flagship destinations, there are 1,479 hotels with 140,592 rooms.

In Cozumel, Elias Farah, director of tourism, told EFE that they expect to receive around 21,000 people daily via sea.

Meanwhile, José de Jesús Castillo Magaña, director of tourism in Isla Mujeres, pointed out that on the busiest days, crossings to Isla Mujeres from the hotel zone of Cancun and Puerto Juárez would exceed 25,000 users, mainly national and foreign tourists.

Atenea Gómez Ricalde, the municipal president of Isla Mujeres, highlighted in an interview with EFE that both the hotels on the island and those located in the mainland area and which are part of the municipality, are expected to have an occupancy rate close to 90%.

“We expect a projection of around 90% occupancy, it may fluctuate one point more or less during the peak days, between Holy Week and Easter Week, so we expect national tourism and also the markets that generally come to Isla Mujeres, which are the United States, Canada, Argentina and of course Europe,” she indicated.

The official specified that they have around 11,500 rooms in the mainland area, specifically in Costa Mujeres, and so far, they have 85% hotel occupancy and expect a "very good season" for Holy Week.

“Costa Mujeres consistently boasts the best figures in the state; it is undoubtedly an unparalleled beauty that combines luxury and the experience of grand hotels with direct contact with nature,” she emphasized.

Gómez Ricalde maintained that the main attraction of this municipality is its natural wealth.

“We are aware that many people come to Isla Mujeres for one or two days, and we want those to be the best days of their lives. From May to September, we have shark sighting season, as well as turtle nesting season. Isla Mujeres has become a natural sanctuary for many species,” she added.

According to Bernardo Cueto, Quintana Roo's Secretary of Tourism, the good tourism levels will be maintained throughout the summer, largely due to the intense promotion of international events such as the Platino Awards to be held in May in Xcaret, the Tulum Air Show, and the NASCAR car races at the Tulum airport.

In addition, there will also be several events linked to the 2026 World Cup, where Quintana Roo is hosting the national teams of Portugal and Uruguay.

As he explained, cities like Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Chetumal and the four Magical Towns: Bacalar, Isla Mujeres, Cozumel and Tulum, will host the so-called “fan fests”, which are part of the World Cup activities.

Cancun Airport with More Than 700 Daily Operations

On the other hand, the Cancun International Airport had seven consecutive days with over 600 daily operations, starting on Saturday, March 29 with 679; on Sunday with 611, and this Monday with a record of 600 landings and takeoffs.

This trend continued throughout the week, reaching its peak on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, when more than 700 daily transactions were recorded.

It's the airport's best streak so far this year, with 1,890 flights, including landings and takeoffs in three days.

The State Tourism Secretariat anticipates that the majority of vacationers arriving on these flights are Mexican nationals, as this is the period in which the most Mexicans take the opportunity to visit one of the destinations offered by the country.

Governor Mara Lezama herself anticipated that 1.2 million tourists are expected during the two weeks of this holiday period, which represents practically a quarter of the 4 million vacationers who will travel throughout the country, as anticipated by the Federal Tourism Secretariat.

An economic impact of over one billion dollars is estimated, driven by high hotel occupancy and tourist activity in the region.

To ensure the safety of visitors, the Holy Week 2026 Operation was launched last weekend, with the deployment of more than 9,300 personnel in the 11 municipalities and 12 tourist destinations of the state to guarantee a safe and incident-free period at the end of the two-week holiday.

Among the recommendations for visitors is to respect safety instructions, especially on beaches and roads, and to avoid driving under the influence of alcohol.

The 12 destinations in the Mexican Caribbean have reported occupancy rates above 80% for practically the first three months of the year, with this good streak continuing until the first half of April due to the Easter celebrations and the school holidays that extend for another week.