Photo: Mauricio Collado/Xinhua

XINHUA

Mexico welcomed 31 million international tourists in 2021, representing an increase of 28.1 percent compared to the comparable number for 2020, according to preliminary estimates from the Tourism Secretariat.

In a statement on Friday, Dec. 31, Mexican Tourism Secretary Miguel Torruco said that the country’s tourism sector is undergoing a “strong recovery,” after noting that 24.2 million international travelers visited the country in 2020, a decrease of 46.1 percent compared to 2019.

Foreign exchange income from international visitors reached $18.428 billion in 2021, an increase of 67.6 percent against 2020, according to government estimates.

In addition, the average annual hotel occupancy was 45.9 percent, 19.9 percentage points above 2020, when the sector’s activity plummeted due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Torruco said traveler confidence has improved as a result of the application of vaccines against covid in various regions and countries.

The tourism sector’s gross domestic product (GDP) reached a 7.1 percent share of the economy as a whole by 2021, and by 2022 the indicator is expected to increase to at least 8.3 percent, he said.

Overall, the Mexican economy rebound by nearly 6 percent in 2021, according to official estimates, after plummeting 8.2 percent in 2020.