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Summers are already known to be busy in Los Cabos but tourists can expect beaches to be even more packed than usual in Cabo this summer as more cruise ships are expected this year. This will bring in thousands of tourists in addition to the already huge influx of travelers visiting the popular vacation destination during the summer months. It is projected that the “cruise season” will be bigger than 2019, prior to when the pandemic began.
Cabo San Lucas is a cruise destination hotspot that welcomed a total of 101 cruise ships into its port just between September and December alone in 2021. This brought in more than 140,000 passengers, many of which spent their time in Cabo enjoying the beaches in the area. Now this year 14 more ships will dock in Cabo than in 2019, carrying thousands more tourists that will spend their time enjoying all that the city has to offer.
The increase in the number of cruises that are destined for Cabo San Lucas will not just affect the summer tourist crowds but will last into fall. In the month of September, they are expecting a total of 21 cruise ships as of right now. During the same month in 2019, before Covid-19 affected the travel industry, only 7 cruise ships made their way to Cabo.
Numerous cruise lines sail to and from Cabo San Lucas and cruises range anywhere from a couple of days to more than a week. Most ships carry between 2,000 and 5,000 passengers, so each time a ship sails into port it is bringing a fairly large influx of tourists to add to the already large numbers that fly in. If more than one ship arrives in a single day that can increase the number of tourists in Cabo by as much as 10,000 people on that day.
While the majority of tourists that visit Cabo travel by air, cruises do bring in a significant number of tourists during the major cruise season, which is generally from September to May. The cruise lines that sail to Cabo San Lucas include:
- Azamara
- Celebrity Cruises
- Royal Caribbean International
- Norwegian Cruise Lines
- Holland America Line
- Regent Seven Seas
- Oceania Cruises
- Marella Cruises
- TUI
- P&O Cruises
- Aida Cruises
- Costa Cruises
- Princess Cruises
- Cunard Line
- Carnival Cruise Lines
- Crystal Cruises
- Disney Cruise Line
- Viking Cruises
- Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
When it comes to tourists that fly to Cabo for a vacation the majority of the visitors come from the United States and Canada. The wide range of cruise ships, on the other hand, carry passengers from all over the world. This is especially true now because the popularity of the Los Cabos area has grown immensely since the end of the pandemic.
Reports are showing that tourism in Los Cabos has already grown well beyond the last pre-pandemic year, which was 2019. In March alone hundreds of thousands of tourists flocked to the city to celebrate spring break and enjoy the beautiful weather while the U.S. and Canada were experiencing cold weather. The summer season is expected to be very busy as well, with hotels already booked almost to capacity.
There are many beautiful places to visit in Mexico but Cabo San Lucas and the greater Los Cabos area offer a unique opportunity to explore different sides of Mexican culture. There are busy entertainment districts with restaurants and nightlife, there are quiet, more secluded areas where travelers can get some relaxation, and there are Pacific beaches and beaches on the Sea of Cortez to spend the days at. A cruise just might be the way to see it all and this year it looks like many believe it is.