Friday, September 12, 2025

At 7.84 million, cruise ship passenger numbers highest in a decade

The number of visitors who arrived in Mexico on cruise ships hit a 10-year high in 2018, the majority of them stopping at Cozumel in Quintana Roo.

Data from the General Coordination of Ports and the Merchant Marine showed that more than 7.84 million passengers arrived at Mexican ports on 2,603 cruise ships last year.

Cozumel was the most popular destination, with more than 4.2 million cruise ship passengers – 54% of the total – disembarking on the island, located off the coast of Playa del Carmen.

“With these results, the leadership of Cozumel in the cruise ship industry in Mexico and Latin America is once again confirmed,” Alicia Ricalde, head of the Quintana Roo Port Administration authority, told the newspaper El Financiero.

“[As a result] the residents of Quintana Roo have more and better opportunities for economic development,” she added.

Mahahual, Quintana Roo, and Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, joined Cozumel to make up the top three most visited destinations by cruise ship passengers. Together they account for 79.1% of all tourists in the sector.

Data from the federal Secretary of Tourism (Sectur) shows that up to November last year, passengers arriving on cruise ships made up 19% of all visitors to Mexico.

While in the country, they spent US $498.5 million, or an average of US $67 per passenger, a figure well below the US $909 spent by tourists who arrive by air.

Francisco Ceballos, a manager at the travel website Despegar, attributed the strong cruise ship arrival numbers to lower prices and the ease with which cruises can be booked online.

“This way of traveling is no longer seen as something exclusive for a high socio-economic segment [of the market], now it’s an accessible option for travel . . .” he said.

“Cozumel has positioned itself at a worldwide level as one of the most important ports for cruise ship tourism ahead of international destinations like Nassau [Bahamas] and San Juan [Puerto Rico],” Ceballos added.

While the sector recorded its best figures in a decade, growth in the number of cruise ship visitors actually declined compared to 2017 from 13% to 8%.

Tour operators attributed the weaker growth to insecurity, saying that it continues to dissuade people from visiting Mexico and that United States government travel warnings are particularly harmful to the tourism industry.

But Pablo Azcárraga, president of the National Tourism Business Council (CNET), said that efforts are being made to change perceptions.

“Insecurity is an issue that continues to concern us, but we’re working with tour operators and the United States government so that they realize that [the violence] is focused [on certain parts of the country],” he said.

Nevertheless, overall international tourism numbers are expected to remain strong in 2019, with the federal government predicting that almost 45 million visitors will arrive.

Tourism contributes to 8.7% of GDP, Tourism Secretary Miguel Torruco Marqués said last month, and Mexico is the sixth most visited country in the world.

Source: El Financiero (sp) 

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
gas tanker after explosion

Horrific gas tanker explosion in Mexico City claims 8 lives, injures 90

3
The accident occurred on a busy highway in the Iztapalapa borough of Mexico City when a gas tanker crashed and exploded, sending out huge flames that engulfed dozens of vehicles.
Navy sailors stand guard next to packages of cocaine, displayed between two navy ships

Navy seizes 1,600 kilos of cocaine off the coast of Guerrero

9
More than 48 metric tons of cocaine have now been confiscated since President Sheinbaum took office last October, authorities say.
Steering wheel of a BYD brand chinese electric car

Facing US pressure, Mexico to raise tariffs on Chinese cars to 50%

9
Mexico will increase the tariff on Chinese cars to the maximum level permitted by the World Trade Organization, Economy Minister Ebrard said Wednesday.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity