Speaking of the Yucatan Peninsula does not mean talking about any state in Mexico. It is one of the founding states of today’s Mexico and the cradle of the Mayan civilization. It was the most important site of the postclassic period and has the pyramid of Cichén Itzá, the jewel in the crown of Mexican tourism and still awe-inspiring.

And speaking of tourism, in Yucatán there was one lime, the other sand: the figures reflect this Tourism in the region has revivedBut if we focus on cultural tourism, there are those who say that this is the worst summer of recent years.

Good tourism

Mexico has an oil fever, they export a lot of corn, they are a trade ally of China, and their avocado industry is very strong. But like many countries, tourism is also a big part of the economy.

It is not for nothing that recent projects such as the magnificent Mayan Train have been developed and that the National Institute of Anthropology and History has continuously highlighted the cultural heritage of not only Yucatan but the rest of the country. This is thanks to the preservation and display of historical elements, the discovery of new archaeological sites and the discovery of secrets beneath other known sites.

There are other reasons to visit the region outside of the historical elements, and the Yucatan Tourism Promotion Secretariat reports that it expects 6.7 million tourists to arrive in 2024. This is a serious increase If we take into account that all data for 2019, the last year before the pandemic, had 3.2 million visitors (2.8 million by air and 400,000 by cruise ship).

Mérida will be the nerve center of tourism in Yucatán and, interestingly enough, national tourism represents 90% of the revenue generated by this sector in Mexico. The data seems to support this prediction. A few weeks ago, authorities commented: Yucatán had reached its maximum amount in history The number of people traveling by air, with 1,796,889 people.

In June alone, 302,300 arrivals by air were recorded, the highest number in history in Yucatán. There was a recovery not only of tourists but also of cargo, with a total of 12,774 tons, which also represents the historical maximum in the first six months of the year.

HOWEVER

Total tourism is one thing, and the number of visitors to archaeological sites and museums is another. There, INAH (with data collected by the Diario de Yucatán) is not so happy, stating that it was the worst summer in recent years.

When compared to 2023 data, considering the data for July and August, when the season will be the strongest, There was a decrease of 16.4% to museums and archaeological sites. The summer holiday is a high season for tourism and the decline has been confirmed since the recovery in 2022, when there was a 33.2% increase in cultural tourists. These are the data for recent summers:

• 2018 – 754,047 tourists
• 2019 – 623,484
• 2020 – the year of the pandemic
• 2021 – 482,676 tourists in the improving year
• 2022 – 643,194 tourists
• 2023 – 600,144 tourists
• 2024 – 501,469 tourists

The positive note is that, 2024 ahead in annual balance thanks to an exceptionally strong January. According to INAH, 1,083,040 people visited archaeological sites and museums between January and August 2023. In the same period in 2024, this figure is 1,124,122. Not much more, but more.

The favourite destinations are the pre-Hispanic Mayan ruins, chosen by 97% of tourists, compared to 3% who prefer museums, and what is interesting is the ranking of favourite archaeological sites. There was no doubt about the first place here, but it is still interesting to see the data for August:

1. Cichén Itza – 181,729 visitors
2. Uxmal – 23,132 visitors
3. Ek Balam – 12,869
4. Aké – 8,737
5. Xcambo – 3,293
6. Kaaba – 2,757
7. Izamal – 2,498
8. Labneh – 868
9. Ance – 715
10. Number – 683

Image | Burkhard Mücke, Daniel Schwen

In Xakata | The invisible curse that ended the Mayan empire: an explosive epidemic of toxic cyanobacteria destroyed dozens of cities