Sectur: ’14 best year for Mexican tourism
Central Bank reports record surplus in sector’s balance
BY SUZZETE ALCÁNTARA
The News
MEXICO CITY – The Tourism Secretariat reported the first half of 2014 as the best in the history of tourism in Mexico.
Bank of México (Banxico) reported the number of international tourists in Mexico during the first half of 2014 exceeded 14.2 million.
Foreign exchange earnings from international visitors also recorded a historical high reaching $8.4 billion, which has never been observed in the first part of any past year. Tourism balance showed a surplus of $4.9 billion, a record amount for a period between January and June.
The number of international visitors increased 2.8 percent compared with the first half of 2013, reaching 39.4 million visitors.
According to Airports and Auxiliary Services (ASA), the number of air passengers increased 9.7 percent during the first half of 2014 compared to the same period in 2013, reaching 24.1 million passengers.
The arrival of passengers in domestic flights exceeded 15.3 million people, representing a 9.1 percent increase compared to the 2013 January to June period. The number of domestic flights increased 5.4 percent.
International flights recorded 8.8 million passengers, equivalent to a 10.7 percent increase compared to the first half of 2013. This result was accompanied by a 7.3 percent increase in the number of international flights.
According to nationality, air passengers from the United States registered the largest share with 56.5 percent of the total, followed by Canadians with 15.3 percent and from Latin America, Brazilians with 2.1 percent, said The Interior Secretariat (Segob).
“Mexico has everything it needs to become a global tourist destination,” said President Enrique Peña Nieto.
“We are restructuring the institutional framework to ensure effective implementation of state government programs aimed at promoting our national tourism development plan.”
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