Despite a significant surge in conventions and conferences held from January to March this year, meeting tourism in the region has not yet recovered from the decline it experienced last year. According to data collected by the Public Trust for the Development of Meetings Tourism in Yucatán (Fideture), the number of participants in these events decreased by 9.4% compared to the same period in 2024.
A total of 121 conferences were organized during the first quarter of this year, a staggering 224% increase from the 54 events held between January and March last year. However, this growth did not translate into an increase in attendance, with only 25,151 participants registered across all events.
The busiest month for meeting tourism was February, which saw 63 events, followed by January with 42 conferences, and a relatively low 16 events in March. In comparison, the strongest months last year were March (32 events), February (16 events), and January (6 events).
Data analysis reveals that despite more conventions being held this year, attendance figures have not reached pre-pandemic levels. For instance, the number of participants in March was 50% lower compared to the same period in 2024. Moreover, the decrease in attendees for this month was an astonishing 116%.
February saw the highest number of participants with 11,364 attendees, followed by March (9,010) and January (4,777). Last year’s top-performing months were March (19,485), February (6,036), and January (2,225).
While meeting tourism in Yucatán has experienced a significant increase in terms of the number of conferences held, it remains to be seen whether these events will translate into increased revenue for local businesses.
Source: Sipse
