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Looking for beach paradise? Cancun continues to break records for a reason!
February was an amazing month for international travel to Cancun as the airport saw record levels of tourists heading to the sand, surf and sun on a beach vacation in the Mexican Caribbean.
Strong visitor levels in February
According to Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, SAB de CV, the publicly traded owner of Cancun International Airport, more than 2.7 million tourists passed through the airport in February.
This is a 4.9 percent increase on the number of passengers using the airport in 2023.
However, most of the increase in passengers at Cancun International Airport in February did not come from domestic passengers, but from a significant jump in international passengers during the month.
Big jump in international tourism
If travelers think that international flights are very full in Cancun in the month of February, they are absolutely right.
International visitors using Cancun International Airport in February rose 10.1 percent over the month, outpacing the increase in total passengers.
A record high of more than two million international passengers used the airport in February. This significantly surpassed the 1.85 million international visitors in February 2023.
Nearly 4.1 million international travelers have visited the shores of Cancun through the airport so far in 2024. This easily makes Cancun one of the top tourist destinations in Mexico this year.
Why the jump in numbers?
There are a number of factors that contribute to the sharp increase in international travelers in the month of February.
It is true that passenger numbers were definitely affected by the fact that there was an extra day, February 29, in 2023.
However, this represents only a fraction of the total international passenger revenue at Cancun International Airport.
There has also been increased publicity and interest from travelers from the United States due to the excitement of the launch of the Maya Train system in Cancun and the Mexican Caribbean.
Many visitors have come to the region to try out the new train network and take advantage of the opportunity to get around the area much more easily than in the past.
An increase in flights to the area, affordable airfares and excitement surrounding the new Tulum International Airport also contributed to the overall increase in international travelers to the Mexican Caribbean.
Tips for travelers
The debut of direct flights to Tulum will not only increase the number of travelers to the entire Mexican Caribbean region, but also hopefully create more competition for travelers and lower overall airfares to the area.
While the added number of passengers and more flights to the area may positively impact costs and additional flight routes for passengers, it will put more pressure on hotel occupancy and room rates in the area.
An increase in the overall demand for resort and hotel rooms without an increase in the number of available rooms is likely to increase guest room rates.
Also, many of the more popular resorts are more likely to sell out during peak travel periods, such as the upcoming spring break season.
Unfortunately, the increase in room rates may offset the lower flight prices that tourists will enjoy after the new Tulum International Airport opens.
However, this should make flying into Cancun International Airport even more affordable, meaning there should be even more records to come in the coming months.
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