Cancun, Riviera Maya Anticipating 1.5 Million Tourists for Holiday Season

As many as 1.5 million tourists are expected to visit Cancun and Riviera Maya in the Mexican Caribbean this holiday season, according to the latest projections from local officials.

The number, which mirrors pre-pandemic figures, is due in large part to greater air connectivity, with Cancun International Airport setting single-day operation records this month. On Saturday, Cancun International Airport broke yet another single-day operations record with 648 flights, up from the previous post-pandemic record of 567 just the week before.

"We are recording many days above 500 flight operations, a trend that will continue throughout the remainder of this year," said Dario Flota Ocampo, director of the Tourism Promotion Council of Quintana Roo, according to Riviera Maya News.

Ocampo noted that the tourist-friendly region is beginning to enter the strongest part of the winter season. The expectation is that it will see higher occupancy rates compared to mid-year estimates as tourists arrive from all over the globe.

Mexico continues to be among the world's most accessible international destinations for tourism nearly two years into the pandemic as foreign travelers are not required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, recovery or a negative test in order to enter the country.