Mexico Surpasses Pre-Pandemic International Flight Arrival Numbers

Tourism officials in Mexico revealed that more international travelers flew to the country in the first six months of 2022 than during the same period in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Mexico News Daily, the Mexican Secretary of Tourism (SECTUR) announced over 10.2 million international tourists arrived at airports across the country between January and June, an 83 percent increase over the same period in 2021.

The 2022 total through the first six months was also 1.5 percent higher than the same period in 2019, which is a significant milestone for travel in the country after tourism was devastated by the pandemic and associated restrictions.

Of the arriving international travelers, SECTUR revealed that 6.66 million were from the United States, an increase of 50.5 percent compared to 2021 and 19.1 percent higher than 2019. U.S. tourists accounted for 65 percent of all international air arrivals in the year’s first six months.

Canada provided the second-highest number of arriving travelers with almost 860,000, an increase of 1,443 percent compared to 2021. The total number of Canadians is still down from the over 1.4 million who flew to Mexico in the first six months of 2019.

Cancun International Airport welcomed 4.82 million international tourists between January and June, while Mexico City International Airport boasted 1.97 million arrivals and Los Cabos International Airport reported 1.12 million travelers.

Last month, SECTUR revealed more than 25 million international travelers arrived in the country over the first five months of 2022, which is up 25.9 percent over 2021, but still far short of the 40.5 million registered in 2019.

Tourism spending is also up significantly, jumping 114.7 percent from 2021 and 25.2 percent over the same period in 2019.