Tourism Will Bounce Back in the Riviera Maya in 2022

Everywhere in the world took a hit during the Pandemic. Jobs were lost, the economy slowed and tourism dropped rapidly as people faced long lockdowns and travel bans. However, Mexico has seen an upward trend in 2021 of tourism and growth, which is set to continue into 2022. With restrictions lifting, more flights becoming available and the pandemic being better-managed worldwide, the Riviera Maya actually saw tourism numbers above those of 2018, which was the best year in modern history.

The public relations manager of the Riviera Nayarit Conventions and Visitors Bureau is extremely optimistic with the projected numbers, stating; “We expect a very good 2022, with the new hotels, the extra airlift and a better-managed pandemic worldwide”. So, let’s take a look at why tourism in the Riviera Maya, Mexico is set to bounce back in 2022.




More Flights, More Seats

Since the pandemic, the toughest year for tourism in Mexico was 2020. It saw a dramatic decrease of 47-80% in flight passengers making the trip to Mexico. However, throughout 2021, the number of cancelled flights and empty seats began to drop, and It has emerged that 16.6 million seats on flights have been scheduled for 2022. This number far exceeds the number of seats available in 2019, pre-pandemic. Andrés Becerril Aguilar, the secretary of tourism announced that an impressive 6.13 million aircraft seats are scheduled for the first quarter of 2022 alone, making it one of the busiest winter quarters at Cancun airport. .




New Hotels and Attractions

The local economy and tourism are taking a turn for the better in the Riviera Maya and large hotel chains have taken note. Countless attractions, hotels and new infrastructure are being put in place throughout the Riviera Maya and the Yucatan, including the Tren Maya, Xibalba, an exciting ecological park created by Grupo Xcaret, Hotel Xcaret Arte, the Nickelodeon Hotel & Resort and the luxury La Casa de la Playa Resort. In fact, hotel infrastructure grew by 2.4% in the number of hotels and 6.8% in the number of rooms available in 2021, and this is only set to continue into 2022.







Real Estate Boom not Slowing

This renewed influx in tourism and money coming into the Riviera Maya and Mexico in general, has also given the real estate market a boost. Gerardo Rioseco, president of the Mexican Association of Tourism Developers has noted that, when it comes to the real estate market, "We are recovering the 2019 figures and in many cases surpassing them. The tourism and vacation property industry has had a significant upturn with many new players and with significant investments”.

Going from the last quarter of 2021 and into 2022, more than 600 developers in Mexico have noted that they are closing between 10-12% above their best numbers in 2019, pre-pandemic, in the Riviera Maya and Cancun. This only goes to show that the influx in tourism from Europe, Canada and the USA to the area is making way for a new real estate boom with more people seeking out a slower-paced life in the sun.

If you’re interested in getting in on the renewed energy of the real estate market here in the Riviera Maya, don’t hesitate to contact us at The Agency RM for all your Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Puerto Morelos, Puerto Aventuras and Bacalar real estate needs.