Mexico’s travel industry scores record highs

The Mexican leisure industry has already surpassed all expectations for this year, said Rodolfo Elizondo, the Aztec nation’s Tourism Secretary. In the first nine months of 2003, Mexico has raked in little more than $7 billion for a walloping 7.1 percent increase compared to the same span of time the year before.

This upturn trend is putting Mexico in a sitting-pretty position for cracking the $9 billion plateau for the first time in the history of its tourist sector.

The tourist balance for the first three quarters of 2003 is tipping favorably with a $2.5 million surplus, up 17.2 percent compared to the first nine months of 2002. By the end of this year, authorities are expecting that figure to reach $3 million.

The biggest jump has occurred in the cruise sector. Liners have continued to put record highs on the board with the coming of 4.9 million passengers, up 37.2 percent over the numbers chalked up in 2002.

Occupancy rate in the first three quarters of the year has averaged 55.8 percent, doing last year’s rate half of a percentage point better.

Last September, border tourism grew a robust 11.5 percent compared to the same month the year before. This happens at a time when the amount of foreign travelers that entered the country between January and September peaked 13.6 million, 6.6 percent less than in 2002. Experts cite tighter security measures implemented along the nation’s northern border as key factors to blame.

The spike in revenues –regardless of a trickled-down inflow of foreign trippers this time up- stems from higher spending. So far this year, tourists have shelled out roughly 5 percent more money than in 2002.

Job creation in the local travel industry has shot up in the first three quarters of 2003 to 1.8 million new jobs, up 18,000 posts than in the previous period.