Los Cabos Airport Among The Busiest In Mexico As Destination Soars In Popularity

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Last Updated 1 year ago

Los Cabos powered ahead as one of the top three most popular visited locations in the country during the first quarter of 2023.

Half A Million Los Cabos Tourists

More than half a million international visitors passed through the Los Cabos International Airport in the first quarter of 2023.

The passenger count of 670,237 international tourists made the airport the third busiest in the entire nation. Only Mexico City and Cancun had higher numbers than Los Cabos.

This was a substantial increase of nearly 22% over the international visitor count at the Los Cabos International Airport in the year-ago period.

Nationwide, United States international tourists powered the numbers, closely followed by international visitors from Canada and Colombia.

More than three million visitors from the United States visited Mexico during the first three months of the year. Canada was second, with just under one million international visitors.

Peak Spring Travel Season

The numbers were very strong at nearly a 22% increase. However, they were not a complete surprise.

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Passenger counts at the Los Cabos International Airport are normally strong during the peak spring travel season in the first quarter and then taper off a bit as the summer heat increases.

The big question will be if the travel numbers are expected to remain steady throughout the rest of the year as most experts are predicting.

Strong Travel Demand

The strong travel demand continues around the world, especially in Los Cabos, as the planet continues to emerge from the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In what is generally called “revenge travel,” people are building on last year’s very strong summer travel season and getting out to visit international destinations after the lifting of travel restrictions around the world.

For example, Marriott International reported substantial guest numbers from their properties around the world, including in Mexico. They recently closed the acquisition of the City Express hotel chain, which included properties in Los Cabos.

Other signs of strong demand for hotel rooms abound in Los Cabos, with Mayor Oscar Leggs recently declaring that another 1,000 guest rooms would soon be added to the Los Cabos supply.

The Shift in Tourism

Part of the reason for the strong growth in tourism in Los Cabos is due to the Los Cabos Tourism Trust marketing the beach resort destination to additional travel segments other than the traditional Spring Break college students.

Recently, efforts have been made to engage more tourists around the main pillars of sustainability, wellness, and nature.

This has attracted more Boomer, Gen X, and Millennial generation travelers, some just coming into their executive careers and prime luxury travel ages.

They have also focused their efforts on upgrading the hotels in the area, along with the amenities, to attract more higher-end luxury-oriented customers.

Those travelers tend to stay longer and spend more money on a resort-style vacation than the Spring Break student audience.

Amenities like spa-like resort guest rooms, luxury restaurants, and championship golf courses are adding to the upscale image of Los Cabos and attracting a new type of guest to the area.

What the Future Holds

Travelers planning to visit Los Cabos should expect to pay more for flights and more crowds at the Los Cabos International Airport.

While the airport is in the process of adding new gates and terminals to receive more passengers, the infrastructure is currently falling behind demand.

Passengers at the airport should expect delays at both Immigration and Customs stations along with long lines for amenities such as food at the airport.

If the passenger traffic continues to expand at the current rate, the customer experience at the airport is only expected to decline in the near future as services reach capacity.