U.S. Visitors to Mexico Increase 15 Percent in June

U.S. Visitors to Mexico Increase 15 Percent in June

Nearly 15 percent more U.S. travelers flew to Mexico in June 2010 than during the same month in 2009, according to recently released U.S. Department of Commerce figures, demonstrating that international travel to Mexico continues its upward trend.

The growth in U.S. air travel to Mexico for the month exceeded that of U.S. international air travel overall, which was 11 percent over June 2009 figures. By comparison, Europe was up 11 percent, Canada up 9 percent and the Caribbean up 6 percent for the month.

U.S. air travel to Mexico the first semester of this year was 8 percent over figures for the same period in 2009, the report also revealed. The growth figure exceeds that of U.S. air travel overall, which grew 4 percent during the first semester.

By comparison, U.S. air travel to Europe decreased 1 percent, to Canada increased 6 percent and to the Caribbean increased 4 percent compared with the first half of 2009. These numbers reflect a continued interest in Mexico by travelers from the United States, Mexico’s largest international feeder market.

Approximately 61 percent of international tourists to Mexico are Americans, according to Mexico’s Tourism Secretariat (Sectur). Mexico continues to be the top international tourism destination for Americans. More than 2.8 million Americans arrived in Mexico by air during the first half of 2010, nearly as many as visited the entire Caribbean, according to U.S. Department of Commerce figures.

More than 14 percent of all U.S. international air travel is to Mexico. The U.S. Department of Commerce figures reinforce Mexican government reports. According to Sectur, the number of international tourists reaching Mexico by air increased by 35.2 percent in June 2010 compared to the same month last year, marking an impressive first half of the year for the Mexico tourism industry.