Mexican Officials Report Record-Breaking Year for Flights, International Tourism
Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco Marqués reported significant growth in domestic and international flights in his country last year, with over 118 million passengers taking to Mexican skies in 2023. That’s an 11.3% increase in domestic and international passengers from 2022 and 18.6% higher than in 2019, pre-pandemic. Domestic flight activity was up 11.5% year over year, which is an impressive 65% increase vs 2019 while international flights were up 10% vs 2022 and 13.1% vs pre-pandemic. Canadian tourism in particular surged to over 4 Million visitors per year to Mexico, an increase of almost 60% year over year, nearly doubling the last pre-pandemic figure .
International Flights to Mexico Grew 10% in 2023
International tourism was on the rise with 55M passengers transported to Mexico last year (2023), a 10% increase vs 2022, and a 13.1% increase vs pre-pandemic numbers (2019).
Canadians are Flocking to Mexico in Record Numbers
The North American market dominated international flight numbers with an 84.5% share of international passengers to Mexico. Flights between the US and Mexico grew at 4.4% YoY. But one major highlight was a 59.5% surge in Canadian passengers flying to Mexico in 2023 vs 2022. We’ve recently highlighted the fact that Canadians are flocking to Mexico in record numbers but this nearly 60% increase is quite notable. This made Canada the second largest tourist group in Mexico last year (4.2M, 7.6% of total), surpassing Europeans (4.1M, 7.4% of total) this year for the first time.
In response to the Canadian surge, Air Canada launched new flights to Mexico and the Caribbean last year with plans for more flight paths in the future, as needed.
European passenger arrivals to Mexico also increased by 2.3% vs 2022. Visitors from Asia also grew at an impressive 20% year over year, but their share of overall visitors is much lower at 0.6% of total arrivals.’
Domestic flight activity was also up 11.5% in 2023
Mexico’s Tourism Secretary also announced today that domestic flights (mainly Volaris and Viva Aerobus) transported 45.5 million passengers, which is 11.5% more than 2022 and 65% more than in 2019.
The Mexican government has been proactive about improving infrastructure and overall connectivity, with new airports and ground transportation expansions such as the Tren Maya, aimed at enhancing passenger experience and spurring economic growth. The upward trajectory of Mexico’s tourism sector is a testament to the country’s thriving industry and its strategic initiatives to elevate the travel experience.
Photo via Eddie Bugajewski.
