Officials from the Mexican Ministry of Tourism and the Mexico Tourism Board announced this week that Mexico has retained the coveted position as number one recipient of cruise lines globally. In addition to the 22.7 million global travelers that arrived in Mexico by air in 2011, an additional 5 million visited by cruise.

Carnival Cruise Lines plans to invest more than $150 million to expand port infrastructure at destinations on Mexico's Pacific and Caribbean coasts, authorities said. Carnival reps and Mexican officials signed an agreement on the Caribbean island of Cozumel at a ceremony attended by President Felipe Calderon.

Costa Cruises will lose about $100 million this year, a swing of about $500 million from last year, due to fallout from the Jan. 13 Costa Concordia capsizing, Carnival Corp. executives said during a conference call discussing first-quarter 2012 results.

Mexico Tourism Board (MTB) will host the Mexico Pavilion at Cruise Shipping Miami 2012 trade show and conference, one of the industry's largest events, bringing together over 90 participants, including state and federal tourism officials, port representatives, and tour operators from across the country.