Mexican Caribbean’s Air Connectivity Rises Past Pre-Pandemic Levels

The Mexican Caribbean state of Quintana Roo, Mexico-home to tourism hubs like Cancun, Cozumel, Tulum and the Riviera Maya-has announced the addition of several new international air routes to its popular tourism destinations, with the region continuing to shine as one of the world's leading examples of post-pandemic tourism reactivation.

This year, 60 airlines in 31 countries are providing connectivity through a total of 95,000 flights from 47 global airports to Quintana Roo's three international airports. In the two years since the Mexican Caribbean's destinations began to re-welcome tourists, over 20 million arrivals have visited the region.

The most-visited region in Mexico, the state encompasses 28 protected natural areas, inhabited by a host of endemic species, and more than 10 treasured archeological sites, plus immeasurable cultural riches.

Between January and May 2022, Quintana Roo recorded the arrival of 6,283,000 foreign and domestic passengers-representing an increase of 9.6 percent over the same period in 2019. In 2022 alone, its hotel infrastructure has expanded by at least 3,000 hotel rooms, with more hospitality projects in the pipeline.

"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 Dario 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%."

In May and June, Southwest Airlines began operating connecting flights from Denver and Austin to Cozumel; American Airlines added connecting flights from Miami, Austin and Philadelphia to Cozumel for May, June, and November; United Airlines started service from Los Angeles to Cozumel in May; Air Canada from Montreal to Cozumel in May; and Sun Country Airlines from Dallas to Cozumel in July.

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