“Record High: Mexican Beaches See Surge in International Tourism”

Nearly 10 million foreign tourists landed at Mexican beach airports, marking a record high. This data was reported in the quarterly reviews from the airport groups of the Southeast (Asur), the Pacific (Gap), and North Centre (Oma). From January to March, 9.9 million international tourists arrived at the 11 operational beach air terminals.

This figure not only indicates an annual growth of 8.6 percent, but it also surpasses the highest numbers recorded in the first quarters of 2019 and 2020, before the pandemic hit. The surge in arrivals was primarily driven by three airports: Cancun, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta. These airports accounted for approximately 94 percent of the international passengers who arrived by air at the private beach terminals in the country.

Cancun alone welcomed 6.4 million international travelers in the first quarter, marking an annual growth rate of 8.8 percent. Almost all private beach air terminals in the country saw growth compared to the first three months of the previous year.

However, two locations saw a decline in arrivals. La Paz saw a drop of nearly half a million passengers, and Acapulco experienced a significant fall after almost reaching its pre-pandemic levels. This decline was due to the impact of Hurricane Otis, which hit in October 2023.