Road Trips Reign in Southern Quintana Roo: Surprising Tourism Trends

In the southern Quintana Roo region, 70% of tourists opt to travel by road rather than flying. This is despite the fact that road travel often involves more risks and longer wait times.

Operational data from the Network of Airports and Auxiliary Services (ASA) reveals that Chetumal International Airport handles roughly 32,000 passengers each month. However, only 30% of these passengers are tourists, amounting to fewer than 10,000 per month.

Between April 2023 and April 2024, the 'Pueblo Mágico' of Bacalar welcomed 380,000 tourists. In the same period, Mahahual, not counting cruise ship passengers, saw over 240,000 visitors to its beaches.

It's worth noting that these numbers only account for revenue from the Lodging Tax and do not include local Chetumal residents who also visit these areas.

These statistics suggest that many visitors, including international tourists, prefer to drive to these southern destinations from Cancún Airport. This is despite the fact that the journey can take at least six hours.

Lorena Carrasco Ortega, a postgraduate student at the University of Quintana Roo, is currently researching why tourists prefer to drive to Bacalar, Mahahual, and Chetumal. The goal of her research is to inform the development of promotional public policies for the area.

Ortega's surveys have also found that six out of ten tourists decided to visit the Laguna de los Siete Colores (Lagoon of Seven Colors) after arriving in Cancún. This decision was primarily influenced by viral videos.