With the winter holiday season just weeks away, the country’s main beaches have lost their appeal to international tourists.
In recent months, the airports in Cancun, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta have reported a drop in the arrival of foreign tourists.
According to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), foreign air tourism fell 3.6 percent at an annual rate in July, while in August it fell 6.2 percent and in September the contraction worsened by 6.4 percent.
International tourist visits fall in September
Francisco Madrid, director of the Center for Advanced Research in Sustainable Tourism (STARC), said that between January and October, the airports in Cancun and Los Cabos registered annual drops in the arrival of foreign travelers close to three percent at an annual rate.
According to the director of STARC, the drop in international visitors is related to various factors, including the lack of promotion of Mexico abroad, which is why other markets are taking away market share from the country, as well as the climate of insecurity in various regions and the restrictive visa policy with South American countries, particularly Brazil, Ecuador and Peru.
Added to this is the lack of seats resulting from the withdrawal of some planes by Volaris, mainly due to the revision of the airline’s engines, which has affected its offer both locally and internationally.
Madrid anticipated that the deceleration trend in the movement of international passengers in beach airports, and throughout the country, will continue towards the end of the year.
Cancun is the main destination for international tourists arriving by plane to the country, only after the Mexico City International Airport (AICM).
Los Cabos represents the second favorite sun and beach destination in Mexico for foreigners, followed by Puerto Vallarta. Together, the three airports of these vacation centers concentrate just over 95 percent of international travelers who arrive by air to the country’s beaches.
Contrary to what happens with international tourism arriving in Mexico, the number of compatriots traveling abroad increased, despite the appreciation of the dollar against the peso.
According to the most recent data from Inegi, between January and September 5.4 million Mexicans traveled to a destination abroad.
The figure was not only 19.5 percent higher than that recorded in the same period in 2023, but even exceeded the 4.3 million compatriots who traveled abroad between January and September 2019, prior to the impact of the pandemic.
According to Madrid, the issue of Mexicans traveling abroad has to do with a seasonal issue, that is, due to the summer season, and this trend will have to be analyzed if it continues in the last quarter of the year.
Source: elsoldemexico
