Tourism Ministry Reports Historic Growth in Tourist Arrivals from Canada
Tourism Ministry Reports ‘Historic’ Growth in Tourist Arrivals from Canada
September 27, 2024
It’s World Tourism Day, and Mexico has every reason to celebrate.
According to official data, 2023 marked a record year for Canadian tourism in Mexico, with 2.4 million travelers arriving by air—a 14.5% increase compared to 2018. These tourists spent approximately US $2.77 billion, reflecting a 39.3% rise from the previous benchmark.
In the first half of this year alone, 1.69 million Canadian tourists visited, a 20.2% rise over the same period in 2018, and their spending surged by 57.7% to reach US $2.08 billion between January and July 2024.
Tourism Minister Miguel Torruco Marqués highlighted that most Canadian visitors came from Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, and Edmonton. The top destinations within Mexico for these travelers included Cancún, Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, Cozumel, Zihuatanejo, Acapulco, Mazatlán, Tulum, San Jose del Cabo, and Huatulco.
Torruco attributed this growth to the effective “Door-to-Door” operation, initiated in 2019, aimed at promoting tourism from countries with strong inbound traveler numbers to Mexico.
From January to July, leading airlines on the Canada-Mexico route included WestJet (35.9% market share), Sunwing (18.6%), Air Transat (14.2%), Flair Airlines (10.8%), and Air Canada (10.4%), collectively accounting for almost 90% of flight routes. Mexican airline Viva Aerobus partnered with Air Canada to enhance connectivity between the two countries.
This surge confirms Canada’s status as the second-largest source of international tourists to Mexico, following the United States.
United States Tourism Overview
The United States remains the primary origin for tourists visiting Mexico, with significant increases during President López Obrador’s administration. In 2023, air arrivals from the U.S. rose by 28.8% compared to 2018, with spending soaring by 56.8%.
From 106 U.S. cities sending tourists to Mexico, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Phoenix topped the list. Popular destinations among U.S. tourists included Cancún, Mexico City, Guadalajara, León, Mazatlán, Monterrey, Morelia, Puerto Vallarta, and San Jose del Cabo.
Overall International Tourism Trends
According to Sectur, international air arrivals to Mexico reached 13.8 million in the first six months of 2024, representing a 3.7% annual growth. Tourism spending in this period totaled US $16.5 billion, a 7.1% increase from the previous year and up 38.1% compared to 2019.
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