Mexico expects to receive a record high of at least 24.6 million foreign tourists in 2012, Tourism Secretary Gloria Guevara revealed on Friday.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Guevara said the number of foreign visitors should rise by over five percent on last year’s total of 23.4 million.
International tourism is the country’s fifth-largest source of foreign revenue and the increase in visitors means Mexico will reap a record amount this year.
Mexico is currently ranked the world’s tenth biggest tourist destination, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. By 2018, it aims to be among the top five, drawing 50 million tourists and an income of 40 billion dollars per year.
“We’re on track” to reach that goal, said Guevara, who also accompanied Sir Richard Branson this week to inaugurate Virgin Atlantic’s twice-weekly direct flight service from London to Cancun. Virgin America also began running direct flights from San Francisco to Puerto Vallarta last December, reflecting the upturn of tourism in Mexico.
Although damaged by the 2009 swine flu outbreak and concern over drug-related violence, Mexico’s tourist industry has recovered steadily, especially in resorts such as Cancun and Vallarta. Fresh from hosting Mexico’s 37th Tianguis Turistico in March, the latter destination has been boosted by the news that several major cruise liners have returned it to their itineraries.
U.S. Cruise Liner Royal Caribbean, which cancelled its cruises along Mexico’s Pacific Coast as of January 2011, finally announced its return to Vallarta, with new ship “Vision of the Seas” due to call in Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas during the 2012-2013 winter season.
Norwegian Cruise Line has also announced Vallarta is back on its itinery, with the Norwegian Star, Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Jewel scheduling stops there for later this year.