Quintana Roo, home to some of Mexico’s most popular beach destinations including Cancún, Tulum and Playa del Carmen, ended 2023 with record-breaking tourism figures.

Governor Mara Lezama announced that traffic through the Cancún International Airport reached 33.7 million passengers last year, and the state received 21 million visitors, up 8% over 2022. Revenue from tourism was also reported to be 12% higher in 2023, reaching US $21 billion.

According to the Cancún, Puerto Morelos & Isla Mujeres Hotel Association, the Caribbean resort city closed the year with a 91.2% occupancy rate, Puerto Morelos with 88.7%, and the Isla Mujeres’ area with 91.1%. 

The state has over 130,000 hotel rooms, and this number is expected to increase in 2024 with the addition of a growing number of vacation rentals.

The state also saw 6.1 million cruise passengers arrive during 2023.

Daily air operation reports at the Cancún airport show that the average number of daily flights in December was between 540 and 600, peaking on Saturday, Dec. 30, with 701 flights.

“It has undoubtedly been a great year for Cancún, with numerous high-level events taking place,” the Benito Juárez Tourism Minister, Juan Pablo de Zulueta Razo said. 

In December, plans were announced to update the Cancún airport, with an investment of US $1.4 billion over five years. The opening of the Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport in Tulum last month is also expected to ease congestion at the Cancún airport, which serves as the primary gateway for international tourists visiting Mexico.

Last year, out of the 34.9 million seats on international flights to Mexico, 12.6 million were on routes to Cancún airport, accounting for 36.1% of the overall market.

With reports from El Economista and La Jornada Maya