Last February, Mexico received 65.1% more international tourists than in the same month of 2021, still marked by the coronavirus pandemic, reported the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).
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 figure is compared to 3.76 million in the second month of 2020, there is still a substantial fall of about 30.3 per cent.
The main uptick occurred in tourists arriving by air, who in February 2021 represented only 698 thousand people, while in the same month of 2022 there were about 1.78 million travelers, up 155.5%.
On the other hand, border tourists fell 5.9% year-on-year in February to 836,474 travelers.
The data reflect the impact of the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic, a disease that so far has left almost 5.73 million infections and more than 323,000 deaths in Mexico, one of the most affected countries in the world.
In February 2022, total tourist spending soared by 164.7% year-on-year, going from 799.1 million dollars to 2 thousand 115.6 million dollars.
If we compare last February's figure with that of the same month in 2020, the current figure is less by about 220 million dollars.
The average spending of each tourist rose year-on-year from $235 in February 2021 to $457 in the second month of 2022, up 94.5%.
Significantly, the average tourist spending in February 2022 is even higher by 58.6% compared to the 2020 data, when it was $288.2.
Mexico had 31.9 million international tourists during 2021, 31.3% more than in 2020.
Foreign exchange income from international visitors amounted to 19 thousand 795.6 million dollars.
For 2022, the Ministry of Tourism (Sectur) estimates the arrival of more than 40 million international tourists.
Mexico's tourism GDP, which until before the coronavirus health crisis represented 8.6% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2019, closed 2021 at 7.1% and in 2022 will do so at 8.3%, according to government estimates.
Even so, Mexico was the third most visited country in the world in 2020, a short-term phenomenon attributed to flexible sanitary measures in the country's tourist areas.
Mexico consolidated itself in 2019 as one of the 10 most visited countries in the world, with more than 45 million international tourists who left 24,563 million dollars, an annual growth of 9%.
EFE
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