New statistics show that Cancun is one of the most popular resort destinations in Mexico this December, with one of the highest hotel occupancy rates in the country. Currently, more than 80% of all hotel rooms in the city are sold out, a figure which is expected to rise as the Mexican Caribbean heads into the busy winter travel season. Meanwhile, hotel rates are also expected to rise as record numbers of travelers visit the region.
It’s important to remember that Cancun is home to a vast amount of hotel rooms, with some of the largest all-inclusive resorts in the country. Despite so many accommodations, record travel numbers mean that hotels are quickly filling up, sending prices soaring.
Cancun’s impressive occupancy rates are just slightly behind those of Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit, where hotels are currently 82% and 81% full, respectively. However, Cancun continues to have the highest number of overall rooms, and the city is also home to 75% of all new hotel rooms built in Mexico. Cancun also beat tourist magnets like Acapulco, Ciudad de México, or San Miguel de Allende, which saw hotel occupancy rates of between 50 and 69%
In a statement, the country’s tourism agency said, “Cancun retained its number one spot as the destination with the highest average occupancy rate for 24 weeks, until mid-October, with around 65% to 85% of all rooms sold out.”
Meanwhile, destinations across the Riviera Maya – including Playa del Carmen and Tulum – are seeing their popularity soar this winter. Recently, authorities in Tulum published projections indicating that some hotels and resorts will only have 5% of their rooms available this December, prompting travelers to make last-minute bookings.
Nightly rates at accommodations across Quintana Roo are up sharply compared to previous years, although travelers can still find plenty of good deals in smaller hotels further away from resort hotspots. Moreover, visitors can take advantage of the massive online vacation rental market, offering more flexibility and greater choice. Authorities are currently in the process of regulating the market in an attempt to prevent fraud and tax evasion, two issues that have plagued the sector in recent years.
Overall, a whopping 26 million travelers are expected to flock to Cancun and the Mexican Caribbean this year through Cancun International Airport alone. The record-shattering number shows that international travel has made a successful comeback after two years of covid-related difficulties. Local authorities are keen to welcome as many tourists as possible and are currently implementing several measures to facilitate entry procedures.
U.S. and Canadian travelers are set to benefit massively from a new digital customs and border control scheme. Officials are adding new electronic passport check kiosks that will make entering Cancun easier and faster than ever before. Under the new system, travelers simply scan their boarding pass and passport, after which their information is directly recorded and logged into the system. After the new measures are fully implemented, Cancun International Airport will become one of the most digitalized in the country, and the move is largely expected to help reduce queueing and cut down on cumbersome red tape.