Now that international travel has resumed and Americans are back to flocking into the Mexican Caribbean for their sunny breaks, the region is experiencing a major resurgence as a tourist destination — so much so that one of its most popular beaches is now expected to be busy the whole year.
Historically, Mexico has had high and low occupancy periods, coinciding with favorable conditions on the coast in certain months, especially when sargassum is concerned or the school holidays North of the border, but ‘peak’ travel seasons may well be an outdated concept.
Moving forward, Playa del Carmen will be jam-packed year-round, and future visitors are being advised to plan their stay well in advance:
Playa del Carmen Is Now A Year-Round Destination
Even prior to Mexico’s tourism renaissance, Playa del Carmen was known as one of the busiest swimming spots on the Mayan Riviera.
As a tributary to the mega-resort city of Cancun, it is highly sought-after for its lively nightlife, world-class resorts, and spotless sandy beaches.
Much like Cancun, however, Playa del Carmen is rising even further in popularity this year, led by new development projects in the area and increased room capacity.
As reported by The Cancun Sun, occupancy rates are routinely reaching above 85%, regardless of the season.
While high visitor numbers were expected over the winter period, when Americans fly en masse to the Caribbean to escape the cold, this level of occupancy would have been remarkable in April and would have been extraordinary, to say the least, only a few years back.
As the new estimates predict, Playa del Carmen is on track to become a ‘year-round destination’, similar to the tourism giants of Mexico City, Mexico’s own capital, Paris, and Rome, where foreigners can be spotted whether it’s sunny or rainy out.
Can Price Surges Be Expected?
This is great news for the local economy, which is heavily reliant on tourism, but one major downside may be the increase in prices, especially when low seasons are often associated with cheaper hotel rates and better flight deals.
As those who have traveled to the Mexican Caribbean recently will have noticed, it is no longer much more affordable than the December-January-February interval.
Last year, 30 million tourists arrived in the region, more than entire countries would have hosted, and growth continues to accelerate well into 2023. Carlos Jiménez, director of Playa del Carmen’s tourism promotion agency, is now predicting resorts will continue to be ‘relatively full’, even after the busy Easter period is through.
Pro-tip: to escape the crowds in Playa del Carmen’s resorts, why not try out a private villa for the whole family?
In his own words, they have seen occupancy rates of approximately 90% over Easter, and despite a slight dip between May and November, it could remain as high as between 70% and 75% for the whole of 2023.
In other words, Playa del Carmen may not have the equivalent of a traditional ‘tourist season’ moving forward.
Off-Season Travel Is More Popular Than Ever
The low season in Quintana Roo has previously comprised the six-month window between late May and early November, when high humidity is expected, with heavy precipitation and tropical cyclones battering the Eastern North Pacific coast on occasion.
Still, rainy days are far fewer than sunny ones, and the weather remains pleasant enough for Americans living in the Northern U.S. who are desperate to escape the wet and cold.
The constant crowding seen on beaches between January and February has also encouraged off-season travel.
In the present day, tourists are more flexible in booking vacations, and many would willingly travel during the so-called ‘low’ season in order to benefit from lower accommodation rates and less congestion at airports (we’re all aware of how chaotic Cancun Airport can be).
If Playa del Carmen is on your wishlist for 2023, and you’ve been dreaming of its turquoise waters and gorgeous promenade, you may want to book your stay as early as possible, even if it’s off-season.
