Cruise Tourists Are Back in Mexico

In the first quarter of the year, 2.9 million cruise tourists arrived in Mexico, resulting in an economic benefit of $241 million. The number exceeded its pre-pandemic levels by 85.3%, reported the head of the Mexican Ministry of Tourism, Miguel Torruco.

In the reported period, 995 cruise ships entered the country, representing an increase of 27.4% compared to the same period in 2022.

After the first quarter of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the confinement of people, the closure of different borders in the world, and greater health controls that restricted services and tourism.

The arrival of the cruise tourists positively affects the country’s hotel services and other travel-related segments, contributing 8% to Mexican gross domestic product (GDP).

This amount means an increase of 104% compared to the same period in 2022. It also means a 28.5% increase compared to the first quarter of 2019, before the pandemic.

The average expenditure of a cruise tourist was 80.9 dollars in this period, 10.1% more than in 2022, $ 73.5.

The ports with the highest arrivals between January and March were Cozumel and Mahahual, in Quintana Roo, Mexican Caribbean; Cabo San Lucas, in Baja California Sur and Ensenada, Baja California, both in the northwest; and Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, in the west of the country. According to official Ministry of Tourism of Mexico data, these destinations received 88.3% of all cruise tourists.