Mexico received 47.8 million international tourists in 2025 — up from 45 million in 2024 — marking a historic year for an industry that contributes approximately 8% of total GDP.
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), the largest increase in tourists occurred among those arriving by land, rising by 15.6% to 4.5 million. The number of tourists arriving by air declined 1.3%.
Day-trippers — visitors who did not stay overnight — also increased. Their total reached over 50.4 million, a 21.9% year-over-year increase. Of these, 38.9 million entered via land borders and 11.4 million via cruise ships.
In economic terms, revenue from international tourism rose by 4.9% to US $31.7 billion; however, average international tourist expenditure fell by 1.2% to $663.69.
The tourism-related economy, which INEGI calls tourism gross domestic product (GDP), grew 0.6% annually in the third quarter of 2025, driven in particular by a 1.8% increase in the price of goods.
Foreign income from visitors arriving by land grew by around 14.1%, while income from air travelers increased by about 3.3%, confirming the greater dynamism of Mexico’s land corridors. Those arriving by air spent an average of $1,221.36 in Mexico, while those arriving by land averaged $328.45.
As is typical during holidays, the month of December 2025 saw more than 5.21 million foreign tourists, marking a year-on-year increase of 9%, according to INEGI. Likewise, December saw total spending by international tourists rise by 0.5% to $3.441 billion compared to the same month of 2024.
In contrast, average spending per tourist across all categories of travelers fell 7.7% compared to December 2024, reaching $659.37 from $714.75.
Mexico is currently the sixth most visited country in the world, behind France, Spain, the United States, Turkey and Italy. According to a study conducted by Google and the international professional services network Deloitte, it is on track to break into the top five by 2040.
With reports from Forbes
