It’s World Tourism Day and Mexico has a reason to celebrate.
The Tourism Ministry reported on Wednesday that Canadian tourist arrivals have grown by a “historic” 14.5% compared to 2018 figures.
According to official data, 2023 saw 2.4 million Canadian travelers arrive in Mexico by air, marking a 14.5% increase over 2018. Moreover, these tourists spent US $2.77 billion, a 39.3% increase from 2018.
Sectur added that in the first six months of this year, 1.69 million Canadian tourists arrived by air in Mexico, an increase of 20.2% compared to the same period of 2018. Tourist spending also saw a significant increase. Between January and July 2024, their spending increased by 57.7% compared to 2018, totaling US $2.08 billion.
Tourism Minister Miguel Torruco Marqués said that the majority of Canadian tourists to Mexico hailed from five cities: Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton. In turn, the main tourist destinations for Canadian travelers were Cancún, Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, Cozumel, Zihuatanejo, Acapulco, Mazatlán, Tulum, San Jose del Cabo and Huatulco.
Torruco said that Canada’s historic tourism to Mexico is the result of the successful “Door-to-Door” Operation. This program, launched in 2019, works abroad to promote tourism from countries that already send a significant number of travelers to Mexico.
From January to July, the top airlines serving routes between Canada and Mexico included WestJet, with 35.9% of the market share, followed by Sunwing, with 18.6%; Air Transat, with 14.2%; Flair Airlines, with 10.8% and Air Canada, with 10.4%. Altogether, these airlines serviced 89.9% of the routes between the two countries. Mexican airline Viva Aerobus recently announced a new partnership with Air Canada to increase connectivity between the two countries.
These statistics reinforce Canada’s position as the second largest source of international tourists to Mexico, trailing only behind the United States.
What about tourism from the United States?
The United States remains the top origin country among tourists to Mexico, with increases during President López Obrador’s administration, which will end next week. According to Sectur, the arrival of tourists from the U.S. to Mexico by air in 2023 was 28.8% more than in 2018. In turn, tourism spending saw massive growth among U.S. tourists — 56.8% more compared to 2018.
Of the 106 cities in the U.S. that sent tourists to Mexico, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago and Phoenix were the leading departure points.
The main destinations in Mexico where U.S. tourists vacationed were Cancún, Mexico City, Guadalajara, León, Mazatlán, Monterrey, Morelia, Puerto Vallarta and San Jose del Cabo.
Overall international tourist arrivals to Mexico
Overall, Sectur said that international tourist arrivals by air to Mexico amounted to 13.8 million people in the first six months of 2024. Compared to last year, this figure represents an annual growth of 3.7%.
Torruco noted that total spending by international tourists arriving by air between January and July amounted to US $16.5 billion, marking a 7.1% increase compared to the same period of 2023 and a 38.1% increase compared to the same period of 2019.
Mexico News Daily