Cancun is expected to be the strongest growing city in 2017 in the Americas, reveals Euromonitor International research for World Travel Market London – the leading global event for the travel industry – released today (Tuesday 7 November) at WTM London.
While the US remains the largest source market, Mexico is becoming increasingly popular with visitors from Europe and Asia, says the Top 100 City Destination Ranking WTM London Edition, by Euromonitor International.
In 2016, the Mexican resort city of Cancun welcomed 5.8 million international arrivals and the report forecasts this will reach 6.8 million in 2017 – up by 16% year-on-year.
It means the city will rise five places in the global rankings to 32.
The surge in arrivals is predicted to continue, and reach 7.6 million in 2020, and nine million in 2025. Many parts of the Caribbean have been devastated by hurricanes this year, particularly Irma, Maria and Nate, with the latter causing the Foreign and Commonwealth to issue advice to travellers about hazardous weather conditions in Cancun and the surrounding regions.
The report says the second fastest growing city in the Americas will be Toronto, up 11% year-on-year during 2017; followed by Mexico City (9%); Vancouver (6.6%) and Punta Cana (6.5%).
“The figures reflect a surge in arrivals for Mexico and Canada, while cities in the US are seeing slower growth rates, partly thanks to the travel policies of President Donald
Trump” author Wouter Geerts, Senior Travel Analyst at Euromonitor International said.
Mexico’s tourism industry is also outpacing average growth rates seen around the world.
According to the UN World Tourism Organisation, Mexico has climbed from being the 15th most visited country in the world in 2012 to the eighth most visited.
Mexico welcomed 35 million international tourist arrivals in 2016; a rise of 9% year-on-year.
In September, the Mexico Tourism Board unveiled a new global campaign using the strapline ‘A World of Its Own’.
The campaign focuses on the “vibrant, multi-faceted experiences that keep visitors coming back to Mexico” and highlights the scale and diversity of its tourism offering.
Bordering the Caribbean, Cancun is famous for its beaches, resorts and nightlife, and is a popular destination for American students during universities’ spring break period.
Visitors to WTM London can find out more about Cancun with exhibitors such as Moon Palace Cancun and Le Blanc Spa Resort (stand CA215); Weddings by Mark International (NA360); and Olympus Tours (LA450).
Mexico was the Premier Partner for WTM London in 2015, as that year was designated as the Year of Mexico in the UK.
World Travel Market London, Senior Director, Simon Press said: “It’s great news that tourism to Cancun, and other Mexican cities have gone from strength to strength in recent years.
“The Year of Mexico in the UK was a great opportunity for the Mexico Tourism Board and we are delighted to hear that numbers from Europe, as well as Asia, are increasing.”
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About World Travel Market
World Travel Market (WTM) portfolio comprises five leading B2B events across four continents generating more than $7bn of industry deals. The five events are:
WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend three-day exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. Around 51,500 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international media visit ExCeL – London every November generating around £2.8 billion of travel industry contracts. http://london.wtm.com/. Next event: 6-8 Nov 2017 – London.
International Golf Travel Market (IGTM) now in its 20th edition, is the meeting place for the global B2B golf travel community. More than 600 golf tourism suppliers join 350 pre-qualified buyers and 100 international press for four days of unmissable pre-scheduled appointments, exclusive networking opportunities and invaluable industry and trend updates. Taking place in a different destination every year, IGTM brings together 1,400 golf tourism professionals from over 65 countries. http://igtm.wtm.com/. Next event: 11-14 Dec 2017 – Cannes.
World Travel Market Latin America now in its fifth edition attracts about 9,000 unique senior executives. The event generates US$ 370 million of new business. Taking place in Sao Paulo Brazil, this show attracts a global audience to meet and shape the direction of the travel industry. More than 7,000 unique visitors attend the event to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry news. http://latinamerica.wtm.com/. Next event: 3-5 April 2018 – Sao Paulo.
World Travel Market Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. Nearly 5,000 travel industry professionals attend Africa’s leading inbound and outbound travel and tourism market. WTM Africa delivers a proven mix of hosted buyers, media, pre-scheduled appointments, on-site networking, evening functions and invited travel trade visitors. http://africa.wtm.com/. Next event: 18-20 April 2018 – Cape Town.
About Arabian Travel Market (ATM) is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2017 attracted almost 40,000 industry professionals, agreeing deals worth US$2.5bn over the four days. The 24th edition of ATM showcased over 2,500 exhibiting companies across 12 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre, making it the largest ATM in its 24-year history. www.arabiantravelmarketwtm.com Next event 22-25 April 2018 – Dubai.
About Reed Exhibitions
Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events business, enhancing the power of face to face through data and digital tools at over 500 events a year, in more than 30 countries, attracting more than 7m participants.
About Reed Travel Exhibitions
Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading travel and tourism event’s organiser with a growing portfolio of more than 22 international travel and tourism trade events in Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Our events are market leaders in their sectors, whether it is global and regional leisure travel trade events, or specialist events for meetings, incentives, conference, events (MICE) industry, business travel, luxury travel, travel technology as well as golf, spa and ski travel. We have over 35 years’ experience in organising world-leading travel exhibitions.
About Euromonitor International
Euromonitor International is the world’s leading provider for global business intelligence and strategic market analysis. We have more than 40 years of experience publishing international market reports, business reference books and online databases on consumer markets.
About the Top 100 City Destinations Ranking
For the first time ever, Euromonitor International’s highly anticipated will be presented at the World Travel Market event in London on November 7, 2017. This year’s report incorporates WTM Global Travel Trends to give further insight on how city destinations are at the forefront of tourism growth and innovation and how travel trends are borne out of the opportunities and challenges that cities face.
http://go.euromonitor.com/wtm2017-top-100-cities-destinations.html