This Pueblo Magico (Magic City) in Mexico hosted more than 1.6 million air and cruise passengers in the first three months of the year, according to state figures.
The designation ‘Magic City’ is limited to destinations full of unique history, cultural symbolism, carnivals, specialty cuisine and great shopping. That is the case Cozumel Island in the Mexican Caribbean.
Only in January and February 155,651 tourists cleared customs at Cozumel International Airport, an increase of 33 percent compared to the same period in 2023.
In a different tourism sector the first three months of 2024 saw a stunning hotel occupancy rate of 85 percent.
Governor Mara Lezama said Cozumel is one of the favorite hotspots among foreign and local tourists. “We have numbers, very good numbers across the state and in Cozumel obviously the confidence of our visitors is being confirmed, night tourism is growing, hotel occupancy is increasing and this is reflected in people’s pockets,” she said.
As of today, this island is served by nonstop flights from nine American and two Canadian cities, as well as CDMX, Monterrey and Guadalajara.
Air travel is not the only mode of transportation that travelers use. Also from January to March 452 cruise ships brought in 1,456,724 visitors, an increase of 18 compared to the same months in 2023, according to the Comprehensive Port Authority of Quintana Roo (Apiqroo) APIQROO.
The Minister of Tourism predicts that Mexico will gain the upper hand 9.3 million cruise ship passengers this year, an increase of 2.4 percent compared to 2023.
This was reported by Minister of Tourism Miguel Torruco Marques The Port of Cozumel will receive the largest number of cruise ships in Mexico by 2024. accounting for 34.8 percent of the ships.
So far it looks good. In January and February alone, the destination welcomed 958,527 cruise passengers the 4th busiest cruise destination in the world, with almost 3 million arrivals per year.
Most international visitors come from European countries such as the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland, Germany and Portugal, as well as the United States, the Bahamas and Panama, with an average spend of $80 per day.
The company is also expanding. Royal Caribbean, the world’s largest cruise line, has officially announced the opening of a new world class cruise ship beach club on the west coast of the island in 2026.
