The Latest Figures for Mexico's Tourism Industry

Image: Mexico had 31.9 million international tourists in 2021, up 31.3 percent from 2020 (Photo: via getty / blackCAT).
Image: Mexico had 31.9 million international tourists in 2021, up 31.3 percent from 2020 (Photo: via getty / blackCAT).
by Alberto Lozano
Last updated: 12:45 PM ET, Thu August 25, 2022

Mexico's tourism sector employed a total of 4.49 million people during the second quarter of 2022 and now exceeds the pre-pandemic record of 4.487 million.

This latest record represents an increase of 2.5 percent over the previous quarter.

In April-June 2022, there was a growth of 14.3 percent in people employed in the tourism goods and services sector, compared to the same quarter of 2021. Moreover, from April-June 2022, tourism employment accounted for 8.8 percent of national work.

This result shows that the recovery in tourism employment continues.

More International Tourists

Mexico welcomed 31.9 million international tourists in 2021, up 31.3 percent from 2020.

Mexico received 7.8 percent more international tourists in June 2022 than in the same month of 2021, accompanied by an increase of more than 20 percent in foreign exchange income, as confirmed by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).

According to the agency's report, Mexico received 3.36 million foreign tourists in the first six months of 2022, compared to 3.12 million in the same period last year.

The figure is also higher than the one million tourists registered in June 2020, in one of the worst moments for the nation's tourism, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The leading annual rebound was in tourists arriving by air, which in June 2022 increased by 28.5 percent to reach 1.88 million people, while in the same month of 2021, they were 1.46 million.

On the other hand, border tourists fell 16.6 percent year-on-year in June to 1.07 million travelers.

In June 2022, total tourist spending soared 20.2 percent year-on-year to $2.2 million from a previous figure of $1.8 million in the same month last year.


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Alberto Lozano

Editor - Mexico & Latin America

Journalist and professional in social communication, S.M., & P.R., Alberto Lozano worked previously as travel editor for...

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