Puerto Vallarta has registered ten consecutive months of declining international tourism despite overall passenger traffic increases driven by strong domestic tourism, according to the latest airport traffic report.
The preliminary passenger data from Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP) for April 2025 revealed a significant contrast between domestic and international tourism trends. Puerto Vallarta International Airport welcomed 654,100 passengers in April, marking a 5.7% increase from the 619,000 passengers recorded in the same month of 2024. Yet, this growth is primarily due to robust domestic travel.
Domestic flights brought in 279,400 passengers, a notable 19.6% increase compared to the 232,700 arrivals recorded in April 2024. This rise reflects an enhanced interest in domestic tourism, driven by holiday travel during the Easter and Passover seasons. In total, the first four months of 2025 saw a 15.4% growth in domestic arrivals, with 932,000 passengers compared to 807,600 passengers during the same period in the previous year.
However, international tourism continues to face challenges. The latest figures indicate a 2.7% decrease, with only 375,700 international arrivals in April compared to 386,300 passengers in April 2024. Over the first four months of 2025, international passenger arrivals totaled 1,848,200, marking a 4.2% drop from the 1,930,000 recorded during the same period last year.
This downward trend in international tourism has persisted for ten straight months, raising concerns among local business owners and stakeholders in the tourism sector who rely heavily on international visitors.
Interestingly, despite the decline in international tourists, airlines increased their seat capacity by 11.0% in April 2025 compared to April 2024. However, the load factor slightly declined from 81.8% in April 2024 to 80.4% in April 2025, indicating more available seats but fewer passengers per flight on international routes.
Industry experts and local authorities are now exploring strategies to revive international tourism, including targeted marketing campaigns and enhanced travel incentives aimed at key international markets. Meanwhile, domestic tourism continues to buoy Puerto Vallarta’s overall travel economy amid the ongoing challenges facing the international tourism sector.
