by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 9:40 AM ET, Tue August 13, 2024
Mexico reported a 6.24 increase in international visitor numbers during the first six months of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023, welcoming 21.8 million travelers.
Tourism spending, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), also rose 7.7 percent during the first half of the year, reaching US$17.5 billion, a new record. That number is 34.6 higher than in 2019, prior to the pandemic.
Mexico News Daily, though, reports that tourist numbers remain below the pre-pandemic total, when Mexico welcomed 22 million international travelers during the first half of 2019.
Mexico’s Tourism Ministry (Sectur) noted that the first half of this year saw 11.9 million travelers enter Mexico via air, a year-over-year increase of 4.9 percent and an increase of 18.6 percent from 2019. The vast majority of international travelers come from the United States, Canada and Colombia.
Mexico’s most popular airports remain Cancun, Mexico City and Los Cabos, though other airports with international connectivity saw the most growth in international visitors, at 14.4 percent from 2023.
The country’s tourism goal for the year is to welcome 55.3 million international tourists and to generate US$31.6 billion in tourism spending. It’s approximately halfway there for both goals, and that’s before the popular winter holiday season begins in the last part of the year.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
