International hotel guest arrivals in Cancún 2010-2020

In 2020, the number of international tourist arrivals to hotels in the Mexican city of Cancún amounted to roughly 2.4 million, less than 40 percent of the overnight tourism volume recorded in 2019. In the last-mentioned year, Cancún was the second most popular tourist destination in Mexico, based on the total number of visitors, ranking only behind the country’s capital.

Cancún tourism statistics

Cancún, situated in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, is not only a popular destination for international tourists. In the first quarter of 2020, more than three out of ten visitors in the city were Mexicans. Considering international visitors, the U.S. was the most popular country of origin for Cancún visitors, accounting for 34 percent of arrivals in that same period. And Cancún visitors like to enjoy their stay – almost 70 percent of visitors had a length of stay in the city of at least five days.

Hotel accommodation in Cancún

Before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the hotel occupancy rate in Cancún was proportional to the hotel star rating. Five-star hotels, the favorite among non-resident tourists, registered a hotel occupancy of nearly 74 percent in 2019. Four-star hotels also recorded occupancy rates above 70 percent. In contrast, only 43 percent of rooms in one-star hotels were booked in that year. In 2020, the highest room occupancy of hotels in Cancún only reached 34.8 percent.