In the first semester of the year, one and a half million people who visited Yucatán chose archaeotourism, and Chichén Itzá was the site with the highest influx, as nearly 75 percent of the total travelers opted for this pre-Columbian zone, according to the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
According to the institute, in the first six months of the year, out of the 16 archaeological sites open to the public in the region, three out of four visitors chose Chichén Itzá as their first choice.
INAH detailed that so far this year, this pre-Columbian site has been the most visited in the country, chosen by one out of every five visitors among the 178 architectural vestiges in Mexico. They specified that from January to June, the 16 archaeological sites in Yucatán attracted 1,459,000 tourists, and although it represents a 12.7 percent decrease compared to the same period last year, which had 1,671,341 visitors in the first semester, it is expected that there will be an increase in attendance during this holiday season.
In relation to this, the institute reported that three of the pre-Hispanic sites in the region are among the top 10 most visited in the country, with Chichén Itzá ranking number one out of the 178 sites, with an influx of 1,087,566 tourists, representing 20.21 percent nationwide and 74.54 percent in the entire state.
Nationally, the influx of archaeological and museum tourism reached 9,326,185 visitors, with an annual increase of 34.19 percent. Uxmal ranked seventh and Ek’Balam ninth. These three sites alone accounted for 51.91 percent of the national total, meaning slightly over half. Dzibilchaltún ranked 21st in the national chart, Mayapán 25th, Kabah 29th, Izamal 43rd, followed by Xkambó at 45th, and Aké, Labná, Sayil, and Oxkintok at 53rd, 63rd, 69th, and 87th, respectively.
Within this same context, the second most visited site in the country was Teotihuacán in the State of Mexico, with 939,842 visitors, accounting for 17.47 percent, and Tulum, Quintana Roo, with 765,510 visitors, representing 14.23 percent.
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