by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 8:50 AM ET, Thu August 6, 2026
In a surprising twist for the fan-favorite destination, Mexico, new statistics from its national statistics agency reveal that, during the first three months of the year, international tourist growth was low and tourism-related spending actually dropped.
The new data was published by INEGI, Mexico’s official statistics agency, which Mexico News Daily reported on. It did not analyze the tourism impact of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which other reports say generated approximately $2.4 billion in tourism revenue.
Yet before that boost, Mexico’s tourism GDP fell by 0.8% compared to the first quarter of 2025, with travelers spending 1.1% less on tourism-related services. Domestic tourism also fell by 0.7%, while international visitation only grew 0.1%, a very small change.
Spending by international visitors plummeted 5.9% quarter-over-quarter and 18.4% year-over-year. In May alone, Mexico welcomed 8.36 million international travelers and saw an average spending per tourist drop nearly 5%, for a total visitor spending drop of 0.6%.
While this looks like a warning sign for Mexico, it could simply reflect the greater economic pressures travelers everywhere are feeling: higher prices for everything from airfare to groceries might be causing travelers to spend less freely while abroad than they have before, forcing travelers to pick and choose how to spend their hard-earned dollars.
Domestic travel within Mexico is still going strong, however. During the first quarter of 2026, domestic traveler spending increased 0.5%, a 5.4% growth year-over-year.
An economic impact report from the World Travel & Tourism Council reported that last year, Mexico’s travel and tourism GDP growth had outperformed that of its northern neighbors.
Travel and tourism GDP grew 1.8% in 2025, with international visitor spending increasing 6.1% against declines in both the United States and Canada.
The global tourism body predicted that Mexico would see a travel and tourism GDP boost of 2.4% due to the World Cup.
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