XINHUA

Nearly 20.6 million international tourists arrived in Mexico by air in 2022, up 46.3 percent from the previous year, the Tourism Secretariat announced on Sunday, Jan. 29.

Most of these international tourists came from the United States, Canada and Colombia, collectively representing 15.6 million in total visitors, an increase of 39.5 percent compared to 2021, according to official figures.

“About 4.98 million tourists of other nationalities were also registered,” the secretariat said in a press release.

“This represents an increase of 72.7 percent compared to 2021, and an overall market share of 24.2 percent.”

The main tourist destinations for international travelers were Cancun in the Mexican Caribbean, and Los Cabos in the state of Baja California Sur.

Mexico is one of the world’s leading tourist destinations, according to the World Tourism Organization.

Notwithstanding, its tourism revenues were gravely affected by the covid-19 pandemic and ongoing security issues, as well as the downgrade of its air security rating from Category 1 to Category 2 by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in May 2021, an issue that the Mexican government has yet to resolve.