México Has Welcomed 16.5 Million Tourists in 2004

The number of tourists who visited Mexico from January through October this year peaked 16.5 million, up 10.8 percent from the same period of time in 2003, while revenues have climbed 21.6 percent to nearly $8.8 billion.

In the light of these figures, Mexico’s tourism officials are still in hope of reaching new milestones of $9.3 billion worth of profits and roughly 19 million travelers by the end of the year.

One standout on the list is cruises, a segment that has brought more than 5.9 million passengers to the Aztec nation, up a stunning 25.1 percent from the amount of visitors that came aboard liners in 2003.

On the other hand, the number of borderline trippers is hovering around 7.3 million, comprising 43.9 percent of the total of foreign travelers that enter the country.

Mexico’s tourism balance continues going strong with a $3.2 billion surplus in the bag, almost 22 percentage points above the figure posted in the first ten months of 2003.