In case Cancun’s status as Mexico’s biggest destination was still being questioned – in other words, if travel experts were still reluctant to concede it’s officially surpassed Mexico City after a decades-long rule – the latest report issued by the Ministry of Tourism leaves no doubt:
It captures nearly half of all foreign arrivals to the country.
The Mexican capital may have been the busiest hub for tourists for centuries, thanks to being a cultural and financial center boasting great flight connectivity with the rest of the world, but that in itself could not hold off the Caribbean giant for long.
Last year alone, it hosted 10.4 million tourists, a majority of which are Americans on a sunny break making it the leading vacation hotspot not only in Mexico, but the whole Caribbean region.
It’s never been as popular as it is now, and these are five of the main reasons behind this resounding success:
Incredible All-Inclusives
Unlike Mexico City, where business and leisure go hand in hand, Cancun exclusively hosts vacationers on a beach getaway. It has a highly developed, luxurious Hotel Zone, tourist-friendly services, and a long-standing reputation of welcoming Americans like they’re royalty.
Most accommodation providers in the city adhere only to the highest standards of hospitality, and their list of amenities is extensive, to say the very least.
We’re talking about that private stretch of white sand, sumptuous buffets, winding pools, well-frequented beachside bars, and round-the-clock catering.
In total, there are 43 five-star, all-inclusive stays in Cancun, as listed by Booking.com, and though they do not cost cheap, with prices ranging from $493 at The Sens Cancun by Oasis to an eye-watering $1,024 per night at the landmark Garza Blanca Resort & Spa.
Best Infrastructure Among Caribbean Cities
The city’s infrastructure and receptiveness to tourists also contribute to Cancun’s prominent role in Mexico’s tourism revival.
The average American is likely to be concerned about flying to a foreign country, and a Latin American one at that, when they’ve never been abroad and can’t speak a second language.
Cancun’s Hotel Zone is remarkably American-friendly, with English being widely-spoken language across entertainment venues and a wide range of services and restaurants available.
In a way, it feels like Mexico for beginners, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
There’s nothing wrong with dipping your toes in the water ahead of attempting a dive, and Cancun offers U.S. visitors just that: it is indisputably Mexican, with the ethnic cuisine and balmy climate to match, except it has gated resorts, American diners, and a high perception of safety.
Cancun Feels Very Safe
If this is your first time over in Mexico and you’re ‘playing it safe’, there is truly no better place to be than Cancun and the wider Mexican Caribbean.
For a tourist destination as popular, and a Latin American metropolis at that, it is surprisingly safe:
Very few Americans are affected by crime when vacationing in the area, and when it does happen in cases where general safety advice isn’t allowed, it’s mostly petty crime as opposed to violent incidents, unlike what the U.S. mainstream media would have you believe.
Violence can happen – this is a densely-populated urban center, after all – but most of the time, it is related to gang activity in peripheral zones, and with reinforced policing in the Hotel Zone and beach patrols now being a common sight, tourists have never been safer.
Amazing Connectivity
Cancun’s impressive connectivity with the United States is another hugely important factor that can’t be downplayed when dissecting its popularity.
There are at least 38 Stateside cities offering year-round, or seasonal nonstop flights to the Caribbean hub.
They include major transit hubs like Houston-Intercontinental, Chicago O’Hare and New York-JFK, but also minor airports serving smaller cities and counties, such as Columbus (CMH), Harlingen (HRL), Hartford (BDL) and Milwaukee (MKE).
Hotels in Cancun are not typically budget-friendly, but luckily, flights can be due to the record demand and aggressive fare wars between competing airlines: according to Expedia, the average price for a one-way Cancun flight in the past seven days starts from a mere $79.
A New Tourist Train
Unless you have been following all of our latest articles religiously for the past two years, you may have missed out on the news that a new scenic train has launched from Cancun, linking the city to all of the top tourist spots in the Mayan Riviera (and beyond).
The train is expected to provide a further boost to Cancun’s already-thriving tourism industry, as visitors can now use safer, more reliable public transport travel to ancient Mayan sites or when escaping the hustle and bustle of the big city on a trip to the more laid-back Playa Del Carmen.
Not all of the lines are operating – more specifically, only Cancun-Palenque line traveling eastbound is up and running – but as soon as this summer, beachgoers will be able to board a Tulum-bound train to visit the world-famous archaeological zone and swim at the postcard-perfect Playa Ruinas.
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