Mexico received 16.85 million international arrivals between January and February 2026, a 9.3% increase compared to the same period last year, Mexico’s Tourism Ministry (Sectur) announced this week.

Of that total, 8.17 million were classified as international tourists — overnight visitors rather than day-trippers or cruise passengers — representing a 6.5% year-over-year rise, according to INEGI’s International Traveler Survey (EVI).

February alone brought in 8.01 million international visitors, up 8.5% from February 2025. International tourists in February reached 3.88 million, a 4.2% annual increase.

Foreign visitors generated US $6.75 billion in foreign exchange earnings during the two-month period, a 2.2% uptick from the same stretch in 2025. February alone brought in $3.27 billion.

“The fact that more and more people are choosing to visit Mexico reflects confidence in the tourism experience our country offers,” Tourism Minister Josefina Rodríguez Zamora said in a press release, describing Mexico’s offering as diverse, high-quality and continuously improving.

The strong numbers arrive as Mexico gears up for what could be a landmark summer.

The country is co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside the U.S. and Canada, with games scheduled in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.

Deloitte report: Mexico’s economic benefits from hosting World Cup could reach US $2.25B

Rodríguez is projecting an additional 5.5 million tourists above average due to the tournament, along with nearly US $3.2 billion in extra revenue. Destinations beyond the host cities, like Los Cabos, are actively marketing themselves as “second stop” getaways for World Cup visitors seeking a luxury beach escape after the final whistle.

Sectur said it will continue efforts to diversify source markets and strengthen regional tourism development, describing tourism as a driver of shared prosperity across the country.

Mexico News Daily