Cancún and the Riviera Maya have established themselves as the main drivers of Mexico’s hotel industry through 2025, leading the construction and expansion of hotels and accommodations nationwide.

According to a new report from commercial real estate firm CBRE, Cancún and other areas of the Riviera Maya added 2,070 new rooms between January and May, accounting for 91% of the national inventory. In other words, nine out of every 10 new hotel rooms that have opened in Mexico this year opened in that region.

In the first five months of the year, 2,280 new hotel rooms were built in Mexico. Of that total, 1,715 rooms (75%) opened in Cancún while 355 (16%) opened in the Riviera Maya.

“These results show that, despite current challenges, Cancún and the Riviera Maya continue to establish themselves as strategic destinations for hotel and tourism investment in Mexico,” Christian Lega, vice president of hospitality at CBRE Mexico said.

Meanwhile, Andrés Martínez Reynoso, head of the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council (CPTQ), said the state is close to matching Las Vegas in number of hotel rooms.

“We have more than 130,000 rooms. We are 20,000 rooms away from reaching the hotel capacity of Las Vegas. With the new hotels, the airport and the Maya Train, which will connect three international airports, we are facing a completely different change,” Martínez said.

After Cancún and the Riviera Maya, Riviera Nayarit comes next in the opening of new rooms, with 140 (6%) between January and May.

In the report, CBRE estimates that more than 3,900 new rooms will come into operation across Mexico during the second half of 2025.

Trends in the hotel and travel industry

According to CBRE, investment in resorts continues to be the most attractive alternative for investors, as growing demand has driven this type of development in both established destinations and emerging markets like Mexico.

“Mexico has established itself as a key destination, with multiple luxury brands expanding their presence,” the report says.

Currently, Cancún, Riviera Maya and Los Cabos have more than 5,000 rooms under construction, which could be released to the market between 2025 and 2027.

As for hotel occupancy, the Tourism Ministry reported that the average hotel occupancy rate in the 70 monitored tourist destinations was 58.7% between January and April, with Cancún and Los Cabos leading the way in arrival of international tourists.

Mexico News Daily