MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico passed a milestone of sorts in September when the airport at the country’s biggest coastal resort, Cancun, surpassed pre-pandemic levels of passengers.
The Airports of the Southeast group, which runs the terminal at the Caribbean coast resort, said Wednesday it handled 1.66 million passengers in Cancun in September, 4.4% percent more than in the same month of 2019.
By January 2020, the coronavirus pandemic cut pasenger numbers drastically, and only about 854,000 passengers used the airport in September 2020.
It is unclear, but highly possible, that passenger levels at the Cancun airport for all of 2021 could equal or exceed the 2019 annual number.
Mexico never instituted any quarantine or testing requirements for incoming passengers, in part to avoid affecting the country’s tourism income.
In June, the resort of Cozumel, south of Cancun, welcomed the first arrival of a cruise ship carrying passengers since the pandemic essentially collapsed that industry.
Quintana Roo state is home to the resorts of Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Tulum. The state depends on tourism for 87% of its economic activity.
Anecdotal evidence suggests tourists are attracted to Mexico’s Caribbean resorts in part because there has been no lockdown and health precautions are largely voluntary. Many visitors shed their masks when they reach their hotels or beach clubs.
The state saw an upsurge in COVID-19 cases in the spring, in part linked to increased travel around Easter week, and partial reductions at businesses like hotels and restaurants were implemented to stem the surge, which has since declined.
Mexico has never enforced a strict, European-style lockdown.
Receive the PVDN morning newsletter and exclusive content by becoming a PVDN Supporter, learn more here
Trending Stories Right Now on PVDN
- Hotel Marsol in Romantic Zone loses water after 17 years of non-payment The Potable Water, Drainage, and Sewerage System (Seapal) of Puerto Vallarta continues with its campaign to invite users who maintain a debt with the agency to get current on their bills, especially to those of the industrial and commercial sector. Following up on the third notification of collection management and notice of cancellation of water…
- Breathalyzer operations resume in Puerto Vallarta The Subdirectorate of Municipal Roads of Puerto Vallarta, headed by Jorge Alberto Castillo Núñez, began to carry out the breathalyzer operations in Puerto Vallarta with the intention of reducing accidents and deaths at the hands of intoxicated drivers in the city. Mayor Luis Alberto Michel Rodríguez ordered the operations to administer breathalyzer tests on Friday…
- The sixth cruise ship in October arrives in Puerto Vallarta The arrival of cruise ships to Puerto Vallarta continues with the Emerald Princess, from Princess Cruise Lines, which arrived at dock number 1 of the Integral Port Administration (API). The Emerald Princess is the sixth cruise ship to dock in Puerto Vallarta this month, of the 14 expected in October, leaving a positive impact on…
- Puerto Vallarta News Brief with Felipe Álvarez; October 19, 2021 Nightly breathalyzer tests have returned to Puerto Vallarta at random locations during the week, and every weekend at Francisco Villa Avenue and Los Tules Avenue, in Fluvial Vallarta.
- Sunwing will reactivate its routes to Puerto Vallarta with 288 flights from Canada Sunwing Airlines announced the reactivation of its routes from 10 Canadian cities to Puerto Vallarta for the winter season. This represents the return of more than 54,000 Canadian tourists to the Mexican beach, reported the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Promotion Trust. The routes will begin operating during the winter period, anticipating 288 flights from Edmonton, Ottawa,…
