Mexican Caribbean Tourism Still Struggling

Quintana Roo, Mexico — The Mexican Caribbean is experiencing one of its lowest periods for hotel occupancy and tourist traffic, a trend that began during the summer holidays and has, to date, failed to rebound. The most recent figures from the Quintana Roo Secretary of Tourism (Sedetur) show that during the first week of October (September 27 to October 3), the state registered an average hotel occupancy rate of 51.6%, continuing the downward trend since August.

During that period, destinations such as Cancún (58.2%), Costa Mujeres (57.9%), and Riviera Maya (49.5%) maintained the highest accommodation percentages, while Puerto Morelos (39.5%), Cozumel (42%), and Costa Maya (31.2%) reported the lowest levels.

Statistics from the state agency show that tourist flow has not managed to recover since August, dropping from 463,000 weekly visitors in the first week of that month to 342,000 in the first week of October, a 26% reduction in the number of visitors.

Faced with this situation, the head of Sedetur, Bernardo Cueto, explained that the tourism performance is a response to the context of the low season and the expansion of hotel infrastructure. "The numbers are cold and sometimes it is complicated to analyze them broadly and perceive the impact they represent," he said.

The official noted that Quintana Roo currently has more than 135,000 hotel rooms and 1,470 lodging centers, which expands the supply but also dilutes occupancy levels compared to previous years. However, even with the decline, Cueto assured that the figures "continue to be healthy for the destination."

"There is much commentary that tourism has decreased and there are comments that seek to show a perception that the number of tourists is not ideal. They are healthy figures for the destination because we are talking about more than 12 million visitors, whose main market is the North American one, followed by the national market, then Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Colombia, and Germany," he explained.

From January to date, Sedetur has counted the arrival of more than 19.5 million passengers to the state, representing a 3% decrease compared to the same period the previous year. The adjustment, the secretary said, corresponds to a 4.1% drop in international passengers and a 0.7% drop in national passengers.

Regarding the origin of visitors, the United States remains the primary market (39.2%), followed by Mexico (33.9%) and Canada (11.3%), while the flow from European and South American countries together represents less than 10%.

A Downturn Replicated Nationally

The drop in tourism seen in the Mexican Caribbean since August is not an isolated event. According to the International Traveler Survey (EVI) from INEGI, during that month the entire country registered a decrease in spending by foreign tourists and a slowdown in the number of visitors arriving by air.

The report details that 7.8 million people from abroad entered Mexico in August, which at first glance appears to be good news because it is more than the previous year. However, they spent less money: the average spending per visitor was 285 dollars, almost 10% less than in 2024. This means that, although more tourists arrived, they left less economic spillover in hotels, restaurants, transportation, or tours; in other words, more people came, but they spent less.

INEGI points out that tourists who stay for several days, known as "inbound tourists," barely grew by 2.2% compared to the previous year. In contrast, those who cross the border for a few hours or only for the day, called "border tourists," increased by 18%, but their spending is much lower, at just 113 dollars per person.

"The average spending per visitor was 285.85 dollars: 9.8% less year-over-year," details the INEGI document, which also shows a slight decrease of 2.1% in tourists arriving by air.

This national trend coincides with what is happening in destinations like the Mexican Caribbean, where the economy depends largely on tourism; this downturn has been felt strongly, although authorities assure that recovery could arrive with the winter season.

Percentage of Occupancy

August

• Week 1: 68.8%
• Week 2: 63.3%
• Week 3: 63.7%
• Week 4: 61.1%

September

• Week 1: 56.1%
• Week 2: 50.7%
• Week 3: 56.3%
• Week 4: 52.7%

October

• Week 1: 51.6%

Source: Quintana Roo Secretary of Tourism

Visitors Per Week

August

• Week 1: 463,328
• Week 2: 426,744
• Week 3: 425,744
• Week 4: 408,759

September

• Week 1: 353,197
• Week 2: 336,933
• Week 3: 376,259
• Week 4: 352,869

October

• Week 1: 342,982

Source: Quintana Roo Secretary of Tourism

Hotel Occupancy by Destination (September 27 to October 3)

• Isla Mujeres: 42.9%
• Costa Mujeres: 57.9%
• Cancún: 58.2%
• Puerto Morelos: 39.5%
• Riviera Maya: 49.5%
• Tulum: 49.2%
• Cozumel: 42%
• Costa Maya: 31.2%

Influx of Tourism to the Mexican Caribbean

• United States: 39.2%
• Mexico: 33.9%
• Canada: 11.3%
• United Kingdom: 2.2%
• Argentina: 1.9%
• France: 1.1%
• Spain: 1%
• Colombia: 0.9%
• Germany: 0.8%
• Chile: 0.8%