The Cancun Convention & Visitors Bureau has revealed the destination welcomed more than five million visitors in 2015, breaking the previous record of 4.8 million set the year before.

According to the Cancun and Puerto Morelos Hotel Association, the city’s average hotel occupancy rate reached an all-time high of 82 per cent.

This information represents a one per cent increase when compared to the same period in 2014, even after the addition of 700 new rooms to the destination.

The association also reported that Cancun was the preferred destination for travellers in Mexico and that its average occupancy rate beat other resort cities like Los Cabos.

“We are thrilled to report yet another record-breaking year for tourism in Cancun,“ said Jesus Almaguer, chief executive of the Cancun CVB.

“We look forward to start off the year in such a positive direction and welcome the newest additions to Cancun that will enhance the destination’s already robust tourism offerings.”

Topping a year of success, Cancun was also recognised as Mexico’s Leading Beach Destination by the World Travel Awards in 2015.

Projections for 2016 are looking bright for Cancun, as online travel agency Expedia named it the top international destination for package bookings (which combine travel components like flights and hotel), beating cities such as Las Vegas and New York.

Cancun was also named the most important beach destination for meetings and conventions, with business tourism representing almost 20 per cent of all arriving visitors in 2015.

The Cancun International Airport recently underwent a major expansion of two of its terminals and is currently working on the addition of a new one.

The airport has also seen an increase in connectivity to the U.S. this past year from airlines such as Vacation Express, Frontier, and American Airlines that have eased travel from visitors departing from Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Kansas City, and other cities.

Through the addition of new hotels and restaurants in the coming year, Cancun plans to continue expanding the destinations’ current tourism offerings.

Tour operators and hoteliers also expect to see an increase of four per cent in overall visitors to the destination this year.