EFE.- Mexico received 65.1% of international tourists in February compared to the same month in 2021, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) reported on Monday, and the coronavirus pandemic continues to plague its spread.
Mexico went from receiving 1.59 million foreign tourists in February 2021 to 2.62 million in the second month of this year.
However, if the number is compared to 3.76 million in the second month of 2020, there is still a significant decrease of about 30.3%.
The main recovery occurred in the arrival of tourists by air, as their number in February 2021 amounted to only 698,000 people, while there were about 1.78 million passengers in the same month of 2022, an increase of 155.5%.
On the other hand, the number of cross-border tourists fell 5.9% year-on-year in February to 836,474 travelers.
The data reflects the impact of the development of the COVID-19 pandemic, the disease that has so far caused nearly 5.73 million infections and more than 323,000 deaths in Mexico, one of the worst-affected countries in the world.
In February 2022, total tourism spending increased 164.7% year-on-year from $799.1 million to $2115.6 million.
If the data of last February is compared with the same month of 2020, the current figure is about $220 million lower.
Average spending per tourist rose year on year, rising from $235 in February 2021 to $457 in the second month of 2022, a 94.5% increase.
It is noteworthy that the average spending of tourists in February 2022 is 58.6% higher compared to the data for 2020, when it was $ 288.2.
Mexico had 31.9 million international tourists during 2021, up 31.3% from 2020.
The foreign exchange income from international visitors amounted to 19795.6 million dollars.
For 2022, the Ministry of Tourism (SECTOR) estimates the arrival of more than 40 million international tourists.
Mexico’s tourism GDP, which even before the coronavirus health crisis represented 8.6% of GDP in 2019, closed 2021 at 7.1% and in 2022 it will do so at 8.3%, according to government estimates.
Follow business information and news in Forbes Mexico
However, Mexico ranked third among the world’s most visited countries in 2020, a temporary phenomenon attributed to the flexible health measures in the country’s tourist areas.
Mexico was unified in 2019 as one of the 10 most visited countries in the world, with more than 45 million international tourists leaving $24,563 million, an increase of 9% annually.
Follow us on Google News to stay updated