The final numbers won’t be in until next month, but if airport arrivals are any indication, they will show 2011 to be a growth year in visitors to Cancun.
Airport officials recently reported that Cancun Airport received its 13 millionth passenger of the year on Dec. 31.
That figure makes 2011 the best year in the airport’s history, with the most passengers ever. Cancun’s airport serves the eastern Yucatan in the state of Quintana Roo, including the fast-growing Riviera Maya and Tulum resort areas south of the airport as well as Cancun north of the airport.
“This event represents a major milestone for the state of Quintana Roo, as the destination has exceeded the number of visitors” it has ever received, making it Mexico’s and the Caribbean’s top vacation destination, according to a press release from Asur, the owner of the Cancun Airport.
This winter season, two Russian airlines that began flying to Cancun are expected to carry thousands of visitors to the destination: Norwind Airlines and Orenbur Airlines join the list of airlines that operate to Cancun. That makes a total of 13 flights a week, carrying 4,700 seats, to and from Moscow, “reinforcing the presence and growth of the Russian market,” the airport statement said.
A spokeswoman for the Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau said the 2011 visitation figures for Cancun will be released in February. In 2009, Cancun received nearly 2.9 million visitors. In 2010, visitor arrivals grew to 3 million.