Tourism

Over the past decade, Mexico’s tourism industry has shown steady expansion, growing every year since 2011 despite security concerns and travel warnings. The 41.4m tourists that visited Mexico in 2018 reflect a 5.5% increase from the number of visitors in 2017, when the government estimated 39m foreign tourists entered the country. Tourists are increasingly venturing out of the traditional tourist centres – Mexico City, the Mayan Riviera with Cancún as the star attraction, Riviera Nayarit with Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos – to visit the up-and-coming destinations of Campeche, Yucatán and Oaxaca. Meanwhile, steadily increasing investment in popular resorts reflects the strength of Mexico’s beach tourism. Greater demand for business travel alongside niche alternatives such as ecotourism and cultural heritage visits also demonstrates the continued potential of the tourism industry. This chapter contains an interview with Miguel Torruco Marqués, Minister of Tourism.