Mexico Receives 31 million Tourists in 2021

The Mexican economy and tourism sector continue to recover from the crisis of 2020, reports the Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR), which also forecasts US$35 billion in tourism revenue for 2022.

“When reporting on the expectations for the end of this year, based on the main indicators of tourist activity in Mexico, the Minister of Tourism of the Government of Mexico Miguel Torruco Marques said that a frank recovery was observed in the sector,” reads a SECTUR press release. Mexico closed 2021 with 31 million tourists, who brought US$18.5 billion in revenue.

Torruco Marques also said that the Mexican tourism sector is recovering. The average annual hotel occupancy expectation for 2021 was estimated at 45.9 percent, a 19.9-point growth from 2020. The tourism sector represented 7.1 percent Mexico’s GDP for 2021 and is forecasted to represent 8.3 percent in 2022. Tourism represented 8.6 percent of Mexico’s GDP in 2019 and 6.7 percent in 2020.

The country’s tourism sector rebounded in 2021 thanks to a US$12 billion consumption per accommodation revenue but still remains far away from a total recovery because the industry’s revenue fell by 33.7 percent in 2020 versus 2019. Mexico’s 31 million tourists in 2021, were a 28.1 percent increase over 2020’s. However, the country is still struggling to recover from its 2020’s 46.1 percent contraction in tourism.

SECTUR also reported that the Official Airline Guide (OAG) assured that Mexico’s passenger and flight traffic will be “favorable” in 2022, with an expected 22.5 percent increase in seats for 2022. Torruco Marques expects a US$35 billion economic spill for Mexico throughout 2022 with 190,513 flights, shattering 2021’s figures, according to another SECTUR press release.