Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, August 20, 2026 – Puerto Vallarta dropped from fifth to sixth among Mexico’s cruise ports by passenger traffic during the first half of 2026. The city received 85 ship calls and 276,633 passengers, extending a two-year decline while cruise activity rose sharply nationwide.
Figures in the federal DataTur cruise database show four fewer calls than the 89 recorded during the same period of 2025. Passenger traffic fell by 2,238, down from 278,871.
The longer comparison shows a steady loss of first-half volume. Vallarta registered 94 calls and 285,635 passengers between January and June 2024. Two years later, the port had nine fewer calls and 9,002 fewer passengers.
The passenger decline remained relatively small because the port handled more people during each arrival. Vallarta averaged about 3,255 passengers per call in 2026, compared with roughly 3,133 in 2025, an increase close to 3.9 percent.
Progreso, Yucatán, moved into fifth place with 96 calls and 293,718 passengers. Its lead over Vallarta reached 11 calls and 17,085 passengers. Yet Progreso averaged about 3,060 passengers per arrival, below Vallarta’s average.
The difference shows that Vallarta lost ground through call volume, not passenger volume aboard the average ship. The ranking also measures cruise activity alone. It does not represent hotel stays, airport arrivals or the destination’s entire tourism market.
Nationally, the Tourism Secretariat reported 6.5 million cruise passengers and 1,839 ship calls during the semester. Passenger traffic rose 17.1 percent and calls increased 12.2 percent compared with 2025. The nationwide average reached 3,554 passengers per ship, above Vallarta’s 3,255.
The Pacific region recorded 2,257,884 passengers and 680 calls, gains of 36.4 percent and 19.9 percent. Cabo San Lucas posted increases of 64.5 percent in passengers and 53 percent in calls, while Mazatlán rose 69.2 percent and 36.4 percent. Vallarta moved in the opposite direction during the same six months.
Fewer calls also mean fewer days when cruise traffic concentrates around the maritime terminal, Puerto Mágico, tour loading areas and taxi stands. The current schedule shows how uneven that activity can be. July closed with only four calls, despite two double-ship days that brought concentrated bursts of activity.
The ASIPONA Puerto Vallarta calendar, updated August 14, lists six ship calls in August. That includes the double arrival on August 4, when Carnival Panorama and Navigator of the Seas shared the port.
