International tourists and visitors spent almost US $16.5 billion in Mexico between January and July, an increase of nearly 65% compared to the same period of 2021, Tourism Minister Miguel Torruco reported Sunday.

Data from the national statistics agency INEGI show that just over 36.8 million tourists and visitors (day trippers and cruise ship passengers, for example) spent $16.48 billion here in the first seven months of the year.

The monetary figure is 64.6% higher than that for the same period of last year and 8.3% above that for 2019, when the tourism sector hadn’t yet been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Foreigners’ expenditure last month totaled $2.67 billion, a 21% increase compared to July 2021.

In a statement, Torruco also said that just under 21.7 million international tourists came to Mexico between January and July, a 25.5% increase compared to the same period of last year, but a 17.3% decline compared to 2019.

They spent an average of $719 each while in the country, an increase of 32.9% compared to last year. Those who arrived by air – just over 12.5 million people – spent $1,131 on average, a 3.4% spike compared to 2021.

In a Twitter post on Sunday, Torruco highlighted the increase in tourism revenue, declaring that it showed that Mexico is on a “good path.”

In another post on Monday, the tourism minister predicted that more than 2 million Mexicans will travel within the country this upcoming Independence Day long weekend, injecting an anticipated 29.6 billion pesos (US $1.5 billion) into local economies.

Hotel occupancy of 60% or higher is expected in several destinations including Acapulco, Mexico City, Cancún, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos.

Passenger numbers at airports in the last three cities exceeded 2019 levels in July, providing evidence that the tourism sector is recovering from the pandemic-induced downturn.

Mexico News Daily