Press Release 142/2026 – During the First Half of 2026, Mexico Received 6.5 Million Cruise Passengers
Ministry of Tourism | July 28, 2026
Secretary of Tourism of the Government of Mexico, Josefina Rodríguez Zamora, reported that during the first half of 2026, cruise tourism maintained a positive trend, recording the arrival of 6.5 million passengers.
Secretary of Tourism Josefina Rodríguez Zamora highlighted that the growth of cruise tourism reflects the confidence of international cruise lines and confirms that “Mexico is in fashion.”
- The average number of passengers per cruise increased by 4.3%, rising from 3,406 in 2025 to 3,554 in 2026.
- Puerto Chiapas, Mazatlán, and Cabo San Lucas led growth in the Pacific region, while Progreso and Cozumel stood out in the Gulf-Caribbean region.
Secretary of Tourism of the Government of Mexico, Josefina Rodríguez Zamora, reported that during the first half of 2026, cruise tourism maintained a positive trend, recording the arrival of 6.5 million passengers on 1,839 cruise ship arrivals at the country’s ports. This represented increases of 17.1% in passenger traffic and 12.2% in the number of cruise arrivals compared to the same period in 2025.
The head of the Ministry of Tourism emphasized that these results reflect the confidence of the world’s leading cruise lines in Mexico and confirm that “Mexico is in fashion,” positioning itself as one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the world.
“Every cruise ship that arrives at our ports represents more opportunities for Mexican families who make a living from tourism. With every visitor, we boost the local economy and continue making Shared Prosperity a reality in our communities,” she stated.
Rodríguez Zamora specified that, according to figures from the Ministry of the Navy, in addition to the growth in passengers and cruise arrivals, the period from January to June 2026 also saw an increase in the average number of passengers per cruise, rising from 3,406 in 2025 to 3,554 in 2026, an increase of 4.3%, reflecting greater occupancy and average capacity of the vessels visiting Mexican ports.
In the Pacific region, 2,257,884 passengers and 680 cruise arrivals were recorded, representing increases of 36.4% and 19.9%, respectively, compared to the same period the previous year.
Within this region, Puerto Chiapas stood out with a 90.2% increase in the number of passengers and a 71.4% increase in cruise arrivals. Likewise, Mazatlán recorded increases of 69.2% in passenger traffic and 36.4% in the number of arrivals, while Cabo San Lucas reported increases of 64.5% in passengers and 53.0% in arrivals.
In the Gulf-Caribbean region, during the same period, 4.3 million passengers and 1,159 cruise arrivals were recorded, representing increases of 8.9% in passenger traffic and 8.1% in the number of cruise arrivals compared to the first half of 2025.
In this region, Progreso, Yucatán, stood out by recording a 21.6% increase in passenger traffic and a 12.9% increase in cruise arrivals. Meanwhile, Cozumel, Quintana Roo, reported increases of 10.0% in passengers and 8.5% in the number of cruise arrivals.
Finally, the Secretary of Tourism emphasized that the growth recorded during the first half of 2026 reaffirms the dynamism of cruise tourism in Mexico and reflects the potential of this segment to continue bringing more visitors, greater economic impact, and more opportunities to the country’s port destinations.
Source: gob
