Mexico: COVID-19 impact on lodging industry 2020, by scenario

According to estimates of August 2020, the most optimistic development for Mexico’s COVID-19 situation in the remaining months of the year have the potential to see the country's accommodation industry generate 10.4 billion U.S. dollars in annual revenue. In the best possible scenario, Mexico's hotel occupancy could reach 46.9 percent, with a total of 101 million overnight tourists by the end of year. On the other hand, in a scenario considering a high risk of COVID-19 infection, the number of travelers staying in hotels or similar establishments across the country would amount to 71.1 million. This would translate into a hotel occupancy of 32.9 percent and revenues amounting to 7.28 billion U.S. dollars for this industry.

Hotel occupancy in Mexico

Since 2016, Mexico passed the 60 percent mark in hotel occupancy, and it even rose above 61 percent in 2017. This represents an overall increase of around eleven percentage points, when compared to the rate recorded at the beginning of the decade. However, in Mexico’s key tourism markets, hotel occupancy exceeds these numbers. During the first half of 2019. For example, over 80 percent of hotel rooms in the areas of Nuevo Vallarta, Playacar, and the Riviera Maya were occupied. Nevertheless, these rates inevitably plunged during the first semester of 2020 due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Average daily rate of hotels in Mexico

The average daily rate (ADR) is a performance indicator used in the accommodation industry to calculate the average rental income per occupied room over a specific time period. In 2019, the ADR in Mexico amounted to 2,205 Mexican pesos, around 117 U.S. dollars at the time of the exchange rate in December 31, 2019.