This year, 60 airlines connect the Mexican Caribbean with 47 airports in 31 countries through 95,000 flights. Two years after the reactivation of the tourist destinations of the Mexican Caribbean, more than 20 million visitors have arrived to the region.
Boasting 28 protected natural areas, home to endemic species and immense cultural wealth, more than 10 archaeological sites and a hotel infrastructure with more than 3,000 hotel rooms which have been opened only in 2022, plus many more projects in the pipeline for this year, the Mexican Caribbean recorded the arrival of 6,283,000 foreign and domestic passengers from January to May this year, an increase of 9.6% compared to the same period in 2019.
“If Quintana Roo were a country, we would be the third most visited in the American continent during 2021, only behind Mexico and the United States. Our connectivity has been key to the return of tourism,” said Darío Flota Ocampo, director of the Quintana Roo Tourism Board. “In 2021, the United States became our main market, surpassing domestic travel, in large part due to the air connectivity that directly links 44 U.S. cities, highlighting the confidence from airlines such as American Airlines; despite the pandemic, they never ceased operations to the Mexican Caribbean and have increased air offer to the state's airports by 34%.”
During May, Frontier Airlines began connecting flights from Houston and Tampa to Cancun; Condor from Frankfurt to Cancun; TUI from Manchester, London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Bristol, Newcastle, Amsterdam, and Brussels to Cancun during the winter and summer seasons; Iberojet from Lisbon, Madrid, and Barcelona to Cancun during April, May and June; AirCaraïbes from Paris-Orly to Cancun in October; SKY from Lima to Cancun in June; and Volaris from Lima to Cancun in June.
Throughout May and June, Southwest Airlines began connecting flights from Denver and Austin to Cozumel; American Airlines launched connecting flights from Miami, Austin and Philadelphia to Cozumel in May, June, and November; United Airlines from Los Angeles to Cozumel in May; Air Canada from Montreal to Cozumel in May; Sun Country Airlines from Dallas to Cozumel in July.
The variety of incoming air connectivity from across the globe promises an exciting summer season for tourism development in the Mexican Caribbean.
