In April, Mexico only welcomed 777,152 international visitors to the country, roughly a 78.5% fall compared to April 2019, which had reported approximately 3.6 million travelers, according to figures released by INEGI’s Survey on International Travelers (EVI), Survey on Inbound Tourism (ETI) and Survey on Border Travelers (EVF) carried out this year. A new campaign has been introduced to boost the numbers.
The most dramatic drop was recorded regarding the air travelers, as numbers fell by 98.1%. In April 2019, 1.6 million flew to the country, but this year the number dropped to 31,100 travelers.
In the case of inbound tourists, there was a 95.5% decline at an annual rate: tourists who traveled by air decreased by 98.1%, and those who traveled by road decreased by 79.8%.
The average expenditure made by inbound tourists who arrived in the country was US$747.53, that is, a 27.4% decrease over the same month of 2019. Receipts from international visitors were 86.7 million dollars, which represented an annual fall of 89.4% for the same period.
According to estimates released by Miguel Torruco, Secretary of Tourism, tourism in Mexico will fully recover by 2023.
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), these surveys are intended to reveal the number of international visitors entering and leaving Mexico, as well as the travel and tourism-related expenses they incur. The figures revealed that the country lost 93.7% of its revenue in one of the most important industries due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The authorities however are planning recovery activities including a new promotional campaign. Visit Mexico joined Discovery Networks and Ford with the purpose of giving a further boost to the “Piensa en México” campaign, which aims to reignite tourism to the country once the pandemic is over.
“Piensa en México” [Think of Mexico] seeks to promote the beauty and wealth of Mexico’s 32 states, and will be launched both on television through Discovery channels and other digital platforms.
“This potential reach is of great value and interest to the states, since they will be able to enjoy the large-scale promotion of a strategy that advertises the most attractive destinations they have through channels with high market penetration: such as pay television and digital platforms”, said Carlos González, director of Visit México.
‘Piensa en México’ includes a tourist routes plan, designed in collaboration with Ford, as part of the strategies to reactivate and strengthen regional and local tourism products and services close to the main tourist sites of the country.
This way, the 32 federal states of Mexico will be divided into 8 regions, which will have a wide variety of routes per state to encourage nationals to drive through these roads. Each of these routes has been planned with a maximum distance of between 3 and 4 hours of driving, having as a starting point the main cities of each state and heading to different tourist attractions across the country.
Visit Mexico, Discovery Networks and Ford have explained that their goal is to make the return to tourism activities an unforgettable experience, but one that is also safe for everyone.