In August 2023, international tourism to Mexico increased by 5.3%, according to the International Traveler Surveys (EVI) of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).
According to the agency’s most recent report, 3,256,315 foreigners visited the country in the eighth month of this year, compared to the same month in 2022, with 3,093,307.
Inbound tourists – those foreign visitors who enter the country for various purposes and spend at least one night in the country in accommodations outside the border strip – were down by 1.6% this year, compared to the same month in 2022.
But border tourism -foreigners spending at least one night in Mexico and staying within the border zone- is on the rise, increasing by 16.4%. Of the total international tourism, one million 882,594 people (57.7%) were domestic tourists, while one million 373,721 people (42.2%) were border tourists.
Tourist spending
Despite the increase in the number of tourists, total foreign exchange from international tourists was a total of US$1,972 million. This represents a 5.1% drop compared to the same period in 2022.
In this area, border tourism spending is still not on par with inbound tourism, as only US$147 million dollars of the total corresponds to the revenue generated by this type of tourism. While inbound tourism left at least 1,825 million dollars. The average expenditure of inbound tourists reached US$969.9.
One of the examples of inbound tourism is 31-year-old Marcos Fernández Lema, a man from Spain who arrived in Mexico on August 26 and toured the country for 11 days. His main destinations were the Riviera Maya, Mexico City, Puebla and Oaxaca. The man from A Coruña entered through Cancun airport and left from Mexico City International Airport (AICM).
The average expenditure made by international tourists arriving in Mexico by air reached 1,068 dollars. While those who entered by land, it was 400 dollars.
According to the latest report of the Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR), the tourists who most visited Mexico in August of this year by air came from the United States, Canada, Colombia, the United Kingdom and Spain, in that order. The airport that received the most tourist arrivals was Cancun (Quintana Roo) with 746,448 arrivals, followed by Mexico City with 329,590.
