Having successfully completed a US$24 million renewal project, Cancun continues to draw more international and domestic travellers, as evident in a recent report by the Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau. The findings reveal that Cancun continues to be an increasingly popular destination for international travelers, and Mexican airport operator ASUR agrees. ASUR, which administers and operates nine airports in the southeast of Mexico including the Cancun International Airport, recently announced that overall consumer traffic has increased an impressive 38.6% since October 2005.

Domestic travel to the island has increased 56.6%, while international travel has increased 32.2%. Since January 2006, over 3.6 million air passengers have traveled to Cancun, and the Cancun International Airport has helped accommodate this heightened demand by providing 7% more flights this year, totaling over 34,263 commercial and chartered flights.

The Cancun Hotel Association reports significant numbers as well with over 1.8 million guests staying in Cancun hotels from January to September 2006, 65% of which represent international markets.

“We are extremely excited by these numbers,” commented Artemio Santos, executive director of the Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau. “These increases demonstrate that our combined efforts to revitalizing our destination are already paying off.”

Undoubtedly, Cancun’s city-wide commitment to renovation and renewal has been successful in attracting an increasing number of visitors to the new and improved destination. Many hotels and resorts have undergone extensive renovations, including the Ritz-Carlton, Cancun, which recently added a US$250,000 Culinary Center, and the JW Marriott Cancun Resort and Spa, which has included 32” flat-panel LCD televisions in all 448 guestrooms.

Other properties plan to unveil their renewal efforts as well this year, including Me Cancun, a property under the newest Melia brand, and the Club Med Cancun Yucatan, which plans to re-open its doors this winter following its US$24 million renovation project.
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