Tourism to Mexico continues to climb, but fewer visitors are arriving by air

July 15, 2025

Waders frolicking in the ocean — Even though individual spending by the average tourist was down in May, a healthy increase in the number of visitors boosted total tourist spending to US $2.6 billion, a 6.3% annual increase. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)

Mexico welcomed 7.93 million travelers in May 2025, up 18% compared to the same month in 2024, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).

The May jump continues an upward trend for the year, with INEGI’s month-by-month figures revealing that from January through May, Mexico received a total of 39.39 million international visitors, a 14.2% increase over the same period in 2024.

airport arrival screen — While the total number of tourists entering Mexico increased in May, arrivals by airplane declined. (Cuartoscuro)

Despite the positive trend, air tourist arrivals shrank in May, falling 5.6% year-over-year – the fourth negative month out of the first five months of 2025 (April saw a 0.2% rise).

On the other hand, cross-border tourists arriving by car or on foot increased by 28.2% year-on-year, reaching 1.71 million visitors in May.

Tourism Minister Josefina Rodríguez told the newspaper El Economista that the drop in air arrivals is part of a global trend due to a lack of aircraft.

“It’s not just Mexico; tourist arrivals by air have fallen in many countries,” Rodríguez said. “With the accidents that have occurred, there are planes that are no longer flying and there are fewer seats. It’s a global phenomenon.”

However, she said that trips by her ministry to promote tourism will begin next month in the United States and Canada to boost the airline industry. “In our case, we’re creating new routes and are going to initiate promotional activities,” the tourism minister said.

According to INEGI’s International Traveler Survey (EVI), 3.75 million visitors (47.3%) were international tourists who stayed in Mexico for at least one night, marking a 10% rise compared to May of the previous year. The remaining 4.18 million travelers, or 52.7%, were day trippers who didn’t stay overnight during their visit to Mexico.

Meanwhile, the INEGI report shows that in May 2025, foreign currency income from total visitor spending amounted to US $2.6 billion, representing a 6.3% annual increase. In particular, spending by international tourists was US $2.3 billion.

The survey noted that individual tourists spent nearly 10% less on average in Mexico, from US $366.27 in May 2024 to $329.88 this May. Gabriela Siller, head of economic analysis at Banco Base, which specializes in international finance, cited inflation and the exchange rate as factors in the drop.

With reports from Reporte Índigo, Players of Life and El Economista