Virtuoso Travel Network recently released a report with some interesting and exciting figures about travel to Mexico. Below are the highlights:
- From January to August of 2010, 7.1 million foreign international travelers visited Mexico, which was a rise of 19 percent from the same period in 2009.
- Alfonso Sumano, director of the Americas for the Mexican tourism board said, “There are several reasons why Mexico’s tourism numbers are up, but the strongest reason is the value Mexico delivers.” He went on to say, “In addition to having several of the top sun and beach destinations of the world, Mexico has 30,000 archeological sites, 110,000 monuments and 31 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Many places have one or maybe two of these elements, but only Mexico combines all of them in one destination.”
- Continental Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Airlines have all added new flights to Mexico from several North American travel hubs. Also adding flights to Mexico in the near future are: Aeromexico, British Airways, US Airways, Frontier Airlines, Virgin America, and China’s Hainan Airlines.
- As a show of encouragement for Mexico, Virtuoso held its annual Symposium in Mexico City last April, and Journey Mexico played a central role in the organization and operation of this state level event. Mexican President Felipe Calderón has prioritized tourism, and addressed Symposium to emphasize that message. The president told the Virtuoso audience that his government is spending $50 billion each year on infrastructure improvements to strengthen the country’s appeal as a destination.
- On the heels of Virtuoso’s symposium, the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), the largest international network of adventure travel companies and organizations, has chosen Chiapas, Mexico to be the host of their annual World Summit for 2011.
- (According to the Virtuoso Luxe Report) Mexico is second only to Italy in popularity as an international luxury destination. The country offers almost 155,000 five-star hotel rooms, up 7 percent per year since 2007.
- Virtuoso member Adamarie King of Connoisseur’s Travel feels that “Mexico offers everything that an international luxury traveler could want: cultural attractions such as all types of museums; colonial and contemporary architecture; glorious and varied scenery, including its beautiful beaches; incredible archeological sites, indigenous villages and handicrafts; a broad range of excellent culinary and gastronomic experiences; outstanding luxury accommodations in fine hotels and haciendas throughout the country; and service that in most cases truly comes from the heart – all at prices that often come in at half the cost of a comparable experience in Europe or even Asia.”
For up-to-date statistics and topics on safety please click here
