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Mexico had a growth of +27.7 percent in tourist arrivals compared to the period from January to August 2020; however, the figures have not yet managed to rebound to the same period of 2019, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
Although it seems a dark outlook for tourism worldwide and 2020 the worst year for the country, Mexico climbed positions in the ranking international.
This, according to Cicotur estimates based on information from the UNWTO.
Data from the Ministry of Tourism reveal that from January to August 2021, 20.1 million international tourists entered the country, with a growth of +27.7 percent compared to the same period in 2020. Although tourism is recovering, it has not rebounded to the figures for 2019, where the Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco, estimated 45 million foreign travelers. This, despite the fact that the government did not prohibit the arrival of flights from other nations as a preventive measure by Covid-19. Although these are hard times for Mexican tourism, paradoxically, the country is located in the top ten of international tourist arrivals, according to the World Tourism Organization –OMT–.
Figures from the Inegi Traveler Surveys
Yesterday, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) presented the results of the International Traveler Surveysthe results showed that During August 2021, 4,622,311 visitors entered the country, of which 2,772 were international tourists; In the same month of 2020, 1,347,863 tourists entered, while for the same period of 2019 a total of 3,571,977 tourists were reported.
Inegi points out that the majority of tourists entered by air with a percentage of 85.3 percent; while 14.7 percent entered by land.
The average expenditure per visitor was 389.61 dollars, while that of internment tourists who entered by air was 1,232.33 dollars and by land, 303 dollars.
A pointer that helps measure the damage of the pandemic is foreign currency, a year ago, in the eighth month of 2020, tourist currency totaled 507 million dollars, while in 2019 and without the current pandemic, income was 1,935 million dollars.
international tourist arrivals
In 2020, the reduction in income from visitors represented a severe blow to the industry and to families who find their productive activities in tourism. In 2019, according to the Anahuac Tourism Competitiveness and Research Center (Cicotur)revenues from international visitors were 24.6 million dollars, for 2020 they were reduced to 11.0 million dollars with a variation of -55.1 percent.
Putting the focus on air tourists who travel to Mexico, they are the ones who enter the country the most and provide the economy with more resources with 80 percent of total income –without a pandemic– and they have been the most benefited in terms of restrictions, since no “buts” were imposed upon them when entering Mexico. However, there was a variation of -58 percent of passengers carried on international routes from 2019 to 2020.
In Mexico there is a great demand for travel, in which, on the one hand, the border movement has a weight and, on the other hand, there is a dependence on the North American travel market.
During the pandemic, Cicotur mentions that Mexican tourist destinations were positioned in the US market, as a result their market share in 2020 was 68.6 percent; when it is normally between 55 and 60 percent. Ironically, he grew up in the pandemic But, the United States is not the only market that enters the country, although it is the first, according to information from the Migration Policy Unit of the Ministry of the Interior. The neighboring country remained in the top of the ranking with 5,292,029 arrivals and a variation of -50.9 percent compared to 2019.
Shortly after is Canada with 948,319 arrivals and a variation of -58.7 percent; Colombia with 139,186 arrivals and a variation of -74 percent; Brazil with 117,846 arrivals and a variation of -67 percent; France with 99,514 arrivals and a variation of -62 percent. Argentina, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Peru and others follow on the list.
Hand in hand, the airlines most affected by nationality were those from Central and South America with -74 percent, followed by European -73.1 percent, national airlines on international flights -64.1 percent, Asian airlines with -58.4 percent and Americans with -50.8 percent.
The paradox, Mexico is positioned in the ranking of more tourist arrivals
Cicotur mentions that the presence of Mexico in the top ten of international tourist arrivals is part of normality and “the new normality”, its best position was in sixth place and was registered in 2017; and the worst was at number 15 in 2013.
In 2020, the Research Center estimated that by 2020 Mexican tourism fell by around 1.1 billion pesos. However, according to the UNWTO information of January 28, 2021 compiled by Cicoturit was visualized that it is possible that Mexico would be located in the top three of most visited countries in the year of the pandemic with 25.1 million visitors in 2020, only below France with 25.2 million tourists and Italy.
With all this, the Mexican tourism industry is still in the midst of a deep crisis. In 2020, international border tourists, made up of non-border and border tourists, experienced a 46 percent decline; the fall was attenuated by the behavior of US tourists, who were the main market for Mexican tourism. The decision not to impose restrictions on international travelers to the country, as well as the positioning of tourist destinations kept the tourism economy afloat a little and according to Cicotur’s estimate, Mexico during the pandemic ranked as one of the main tourist destinations Worldwide.