Unlike their winged counterparts, human Canadian and U.S. visitors have been returning to Mexico’s balmy climes in significant numbers over the past 12 months, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).
The latest data shows that 2,468,511 Canadians arrived in Mexico last year by air, an increase of 40.3 percent compared to 2022 and 6.9 percent compared to pre-Covid 2019.
Around 13,524,000, U.S. visitors flew into Mexican airports, up by 28.7 percent over 2022, and four percent compared with 2019.
Nationalities with the next highest numbers of arrivals were Colombia, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The total number of international visitors landing at Mexican airports last year rose by seven percent to 22.82 million. Almost 85 percent were from the United States and Canada.
Taking into account all forms of arrivals (including border visits), the country welcomed 42.15 million foreign visitors, compared to 38.32 million in 2022, Inegi revealed.
Average spending by international visitors rose by 3.2 percent to US$693.12 per person per visit.
Although official figures for 2023 have yet to be published, Mexico is again expected to be in the top ten most visited nations. The country was sixth in 2022, attributed, in part, to the flexible health measures applied during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Data from Mexican government sources also shows a sharp rise in the number of applications for temporary and permanent residency in Mexico over the past two years, especially among Canadians and U.S. citizens.