Erce Barron Barrera, who serves as the head of the Port Authority of Quintana Roo (APIQROO), also confirmed the 2016 summer season surpassed a historical record when more than 21,000 passengers arrived in just one day by sea to Isla Mujeres, which lies just offshore from downtown Cancun and not far north from Playa del Carmen and Cozumel island, which Travel Weekly just named one of the world’s best island destinations.
"On July 31 the Islands Maritime Terminal received 21,256 tourists; a figure that shows the high preference for destinations in Quintana Roo.” Stated Barrera. “The previous historical report was 13,500 people last summer."
For his part, Quintana Roo Minister of Tourism, Raul Andrade Angulo, also noted that this season the upward trend in arrivals of tourists coming to the Riviera Maya continued, hitting an average of 94 percent occupancy rates in the hotels, luxury condos and vacation homes that are located in places like Cancun, downtown Playa del Carmen and Tulum.
According to statistics and the total volume of transactions that have been announced so far by state authorities, at least two million tourists visited these top destinations this summer. They also indicated that these visitors left an economic impact of more than $481 million dollars, which is 12 percent more than the same season last year.
"The destinations of Quintana Roo are consolidated as leaders of the tourism sector,” stated Andrade Angulo. “Infrastructure and innovative offerings in various segments underpin the state as a preferred tourism destination in Mexico and Latin America and one of the largest in the world."
He also stressed that Mexico’s Riviera Maya offers travelers the best different products – from hotels to luxury condos and vacation homes – as well as abundant activities, which encourages repeat visitors who come back time and time again to swim with whale sharks in places like Isla Mujeres and Isla Holbox.
The wide variety of diving and water sports in Mexico’s Riviera Maya includes visiting theme parks, ecological reserves, archaeological and reef areas, as well as underwater museums, among other attractions, which are all part of the many experiences one can enjoy.
Andrade Angulo said that from 16 July to 21 August Isla Mujeres mobilized 711,138 passengers and 462,554 to Cozumel. At the end of summer, the southern part of Quintana Roo reported 59.8 percent occupancy in Chetumal, 96.8 in Mahahual and 93 percent in Bacalar.
"More than 199 thousand tourists came to the Grand Costa Maya, with an economic impact of 41.4 million dollars," he said.
In turn, the director of the Trust for Tourism Promotion of the Riviera Maya and Cozumel, Dario Flota Ocampo, recalled that the summer of 2015 also brought occupancy records to the Riviera Maya, which boasted full hotel occupancy in some areas.
He noted that in 2016 the total number of rooms had increased by more than 200,000, so considering that Quintana Roo had roughly the same percentage of occupation, there were obviously more visitors in 2016 than last year. Finally, he talked about the new weekly route opened by Cozumel airline for July and August to accommodate the growing demand in the region.
"There were nine weekly frequencies, which were fully booked. That helped Cozumel also have good hotel occupancy. "
Meanwhile, Alejandrina Selem Salas, who serves as the president of the Association of Hotels and Motels of Holbox, reported that hotel occupancy on the island was "full" with mostly national, regional and foreign visitors of Italian origin, as well as Russian, Australian, Spanish, French, Canadian and American.
"July and August coincide with the season of sighting the whale sharks, which makes it even more attractive destination," he said.
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