Undeterred by travel warnings and frightening headlines about safety in Mexico, an increasing number of international tourists are flying to the country, according to the Mexico Tourism Board. The number of international tourists who flew to Mexico from January to August increased 19 percent over the same period last year, according to the board, and most were from the United States. More than four million American citizens flew to Mexico, an increase of 15 percent over the same period last year, and about 61 percent of international tourists to Mexico are Americans.
“There are several reasons why Mexico’s tourism numbers are up, but the strongest reason is the value Mexico delivers,” said Alfonso Sumano, director of the Americas for the tourism board. “In addition to having several of the top sun and beach destinations of the world, Mexico has 30,000 archeological sites, 110,000 monuments and 31 Unesco World Heritage sites. Many places have one or maybe two of these elements, but only Mexico combines all of them in one destination.”
The surge in tourism is being matched by a surge in flights from North American hubs: Continental, United Airlines and Delta have all announced plans for additional flights to Mexican destinations, including Mexico City and Cancún.