Although the hotel business in Cancun, Mexico, has recovered significantly this year, the cost of hotel rooms has almost halved compared to 2019. However, hoteliers remain optimistic, hoping that fewer restrictions on international travel will be able to offset lower prices.
According to Roberto Sintron, president of the Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres Hotel Association, hotel room prices fell by an average of 55%, but as the government left destinations open, it allowed occupancy to approach pre-pandemic levels.
One of the most important markets for this recovery was the United States, the number of flights of which has already exceeded the number of flights to the destination in 2019. The Quintana Roo Tourism Board said that in 2019, Cancun International Airport operated 38 flights a day from the United States, and this year their number has increased to 47.
On the other hand, the number of arriving American tourists compared to 2019 has not yet been reached, but is very close. This year, Cancun received 2,077,143 American tourists, while in 2019 there were 2,146,633.
Countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom, which were the second and third largest source countries in 2019, are now expected to ease travel restrictions, allowing these markets to recover. The president of the Cancun Hotel Association also stressed the importance of domestic tourism for the overall recovery.
Cancun faced the first drop in employment from the period until the summer of 2021, when the active recovery of tourism began after the collapse of the industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, travel agencies predict the current trend, warning that in September and October, the number of bookings is likely to decline.