What's Leading the Mexican Caribbean Tourism Boom?

Image: PHOTO: New hotels are coming to Cancun in droves. (photo by Greg Custer)
Image: PHOTO: New hotels are coming to Cancun in droves. (photo by Greg Custer)
Janeen Christoff
by Janeen Christoff
Last updated: 3:27 PM ET, Wed December 6, 2017

If you are heading to the Mexican Caribbean in the near future, choosing where to stay may be quite the task.

With Hotel Xcaret Mexico recently opened, adding 900 more rooms to the region along with the debut of El Cid's expansion project, the new Ventus in November, Quintana Roo is seeing a dramatic increase in properties.

Other new additions include the Grand at Moon Palace, the Atelier Playa Mujeres, the refurbished TRS Yucatan Hotel and Hotel Riu Dunamar in Costa Mujeres.

There are even more projects underway in the southern Mexican state that encompasses popular destinations such as Cancun, the Riviera Maya and Puerto Morelos.

Hilton recently announced plans for two new hotels in Cancun. The new properties will include an all-inclusive Hilton Cancun, which will be next door to the new Waldorf Astoria Cancun.

"With more than half of our Latin America portfolio present in Mexico, we are proud to announce the plans for Waldorf Astoria Cancun and Hilton Cancun as we continue to introduce distinguished properties in the world's most sought-after destinations," said Juan Corvinos, vice president, development, Latin America and the Caribbean, for Hilton.

Palladium is also transforming the El Pueblito into the Ushuaia Cancun, set to open in 2019. An expansion at Iberostar, an SLS Hotel and a Marriott Renaissance among others are also on the way.

The secretary of tourism of Quintana Roo, Marisol Vanegas Perez, noted that the region is ready to welcome 10,000 new rooms over the next two years. This year alone saw the addition of 5,000 new rooms.

The large increase in the number of hotel rooms in the Mexican Caribbean has partially contributed to a drop in room rates. According to a report in Reportur, average rates have declined for the first time since 2009 to $180 per night.

The region also welcomed more than 7.6 million visitors between January and September. Though Cancun saw an increase in visitation of 2.8 percent, Riviera Maya saw the most growth with an 8.5 percent rise over the previous year.

An increase in airlift is one of the factors that has lead to strong growth. According to a report from the Official Airline Guide, the number of air seats from the U.S. has increased more than 7 percent.

All this good news comes despite a travel warning for Mexico issued by the U.S., which doesn't seem to be deterring travelers from visiting the country.


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