The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has alerted authorities and tourism entrepreneurs in Quintana Roo about a reduction in the number of nights that visitors spend staying for tourism purposes.
The average length of stay has gone from 7.1 to 6.7 nights, said the president of the organization Julia Simpson in a meeting with Quintana Roo businessmen.
Likewise, the leader of the international organization highlighted that shorter stays in Quintana Roo, of 1 night, are increasing considerably.
Cancun is one of the most popular destinations in terms of international arrivals to Mexico. So far this year, the number of arrivals has increased by 9% at an annual rate.
Simpson highlighted that Quintana Roo has established itself as a global tourism benchmark, and that under the leadership of Governor Mara Lezama and with the new agreement for the well-being of the entity, it has reached historic figures in the tourism sector, in addition to making great progress for the benefit of both the people of Quintana Roo and global tourism.
“We are entering the new era of tourism in Quintana Roo, where we are moving from tourism success to shared prosperity. Quintana Roo has world-class infrastructure, including four international airports and ports capable of receiving millions of tourists annually,” he said.
“We know that Quintana Roo has implemented various initiatives to promote sustainable tourism and protect its natural resources. These include coral reef conservation programs, campaigns to reduce the use of single-use plastics in tourist facilities, and the promotion of responsible tourism practices that involve local communities in the management and benefit of tourism,” he added.
He added that the state is showing a 33% growth in demand for premium seats, compared to a 7% increase in economy class seats, indicating a shift towards travelers with greater purchasing power.
At the meeting, Simpson presented the most recent figures on the behavior of the travel and tourism sector in Mexico, which highlighted that so far this year international arrivals to Mexico have increased by 14% compared to the same period in 2023.
He also highlighted that the largest market of origin for arrivals to Mexico is the United States, with an increase of 16% compared to the same period in 2023.
After the United States, other major issuing markets are Canada, Colombia, Argentina and the United Kingdom.
For Cancun, among the largest issuing markets for tourists are the United States (10% vs 2023), Canada (20%) and Argentina (10%).
The meeting was chaired by Julia Simpson, Bernardo Cueto Riestra, Secretary of Tourism of Quintana Roo, and José Chapur, President and CEO of The Palace Company and Member of WTTC; also participating were businessmen such as Dolores López Lira, President of Grupo Lomas Travel and other companies, such as ASUR, Xcaret, Grupo Diestra and Hotel Emporio.
Source: forbes
