Mexico Hits Record 35.97 Million Tourists as Spending Growth Slows
Mexico drew a record 35.97 million foreign tourists through September 2026, but growth slowed and air arrivals fell. What INEGI data shows and what comes next.
Mexico received 35.97 million international tourists in the first nine months of 2026, a record, and those visitors spent nearly $26.1 billion, also a record, according to data from the national statistics agency INEGI (Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía) reported by Mexico News Daily. Arrivals rose 3.8% year on year and foreign currency spending grew 1.4%.
Both increases are smaller than a year earlier, and the number of visitors flying in has dropped. Travelers arriving by air account for 80% of tourism foreign exchange, so the decline weighs on the whole sector, according to the report.
Growth is slower than in 2025
The INEGI report, released Thursday, puts the 1.4% rise in tourism revenue well below the 6.1% growth recorded in the first three quarters of 2025. The International Travelers Survey (Encuesta de Viajeros Internacionales, EVI) found a similar pattern for visitor numbers: the 3.8% increase in arrivals by air and land compares with a 6.4% rise in the same period last year.
The federal Tourism Ministry (Secretaría de Turismo) responded on Friday by praising what it called historic records in both international arrivals and spending.
Air arrivals fall for a second year
Rising travel costs are blamed for fewer tourists arriving by plane. INEGI’s figures show a cumulative decline in air arrivals for two consecutive years, something not seen since records began. The drop has hit the country’s three main sun and beach destinations: Cancún, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta.
The Center for Advanced Research in Sustainable Tourism (STARC) at Anáhuac University Cancún reported that, through October, airports serving those three destinations handled 1.9 million fewer international passengers than in 2025.
September showed some improvement. Spending by tourists arriving by air rose 7.1% that month, helped by a gradual recovery in business travel, which had shrunk during this summer’s World Cup. The second half of the year is usually busy for Mexico’s meetings industry, with more congresses, exhibitions and conventions.
What it means for visitors and the industry
Foreign visitors will pay more to enter Mexico next year. The Non-Resident Tax (Derecho de No Residente), charged to foreign tourists, rises 17.8% to 1,158 pesos starting in January, according to Humberto Molina, a tourism analyst at Grupo Empresarial Estrategia. Friends and family flying in from abroad will face that charge on top of the visa and stay rules covered in our guide to Mexico’s FMM tourist permit and 180-day stay.
Molina told El Economista that the accumulated results are good but that tourism “isn’t taking off.” He pointed to the lack of promotional campaigns and of a public policy that would give certainty of sustained growth in the short term, and said the tax increase will affect next year.
Business groups have also criticized the 2027 budget proposal, which sets aside 20 million pesos for tourism. The private sector called that amount clearly insufficient to promote Mexico’s destinations in foreign source markets and at home.
The industry sees the fall in air arrivals as its biggest challenge going into 2027, with the higher entry tax due to take effect in January.
Source: Mexico News Daily
