Mexican Caribbean Cruise Industry Resurges After Hurricane Chaos

After several cruise ship arrivals were cancelled due to Hurricane Beryl, tourism in Quintana Roo, Mexico is bouncing back with the arrival of the first 'floating hotels' on the island of Cozumel. The Mariner of the Seas and Carnival Valor cruises were the first to dock following the severe weather disruption.

The Integral Port Administration of Quintana Roo's Cruise Arrival Program had scheduled 22 cruise ships to arrive during the first week of July. Between July 1 and 3, 16 large ships docked at the ports of Quintana Roo. Fourteen of these ships were registered in the United States, one in the Bahamas, and one in Switzerland. However, due to Hurricane Beryl, four arrivals were cancelled. These included the Carnival Horizon from Panama, and the Norwegian Jade, Norwegian Breakaway, and Carnival Paradise, all from the United States.

Looking ahead, 19 cruises are scheduled to dock at the Quintana Roo ports up until July 14. Fifteen of these ships are registered in the United States, two in the Bahamas, and one in Switzerland.

In the first four months of the year, the ports of Cozumel and Mahahual received the highest number of cruise passengers in Mexico. Cozumel recorded 520 arrivals and 1,818,838 passengers, representing a 14.2% increase in passengers and a 5.5% increase in vessels compared to 2023. Mahahual saw 207 arrivals, with 844,87 cruise passengers; a 15.6% increase in vessels and a 35.6% increase in passengers compared to the first four months of 2023.