During the first quarter of 2023, Mexico’s ports welcomed an impressive total of nearly three million cruise passengers. This represents a significant uptick of 85.3% in comparison to the same period in the preceding year, and an 8.5% increase over the first quarter of 2019. These statistics were released by Miguel Torruco Marqués, the Secretary of Tourism of the Government of Mexico.
These visitors were distributed across 995 cruise ships, marking a 27.4% surge compared to the period from January to March 2022. The influx of tourists significantly boosted foreign exchange revenue to a robust $241 million, showcasing a substantial growth of 104% compared to the first quarter of 2022, and a 28.5% increase from the same period in 2019.
Marqués, heading the Ministry of Tourism (Sectur), stated that the average expenditure per visitor stood at $80.9, surpassing the previous year’s average of $73.5 by 10.1%.
The ports that played host to the largest influx of cruise passengers were Cozumel and Mahahual in Quintana Roo; Cabo San Lucas in Baja California Sur; Ensenada in Baja California, and Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco. These ports collectively accounted for 88.3% of the total passenger count.
Breaking it down, Cozumel, Quintana Roo, reported 409 arrivals with over 1.2 million passengers. Mahahual in the same state saw 145 arrivals, bringing in almost half a million cruise passengers. In Cabo San Lucas, Baja California, 100 ships delivered over 300,000 passengers. Ensenada, Baja California, logged 92 cruise ship arrivals with more than 274,000 passengers, while Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, registered the arrival of 72 cruise ships carrying over 221,000 passengers.
