MEXICO: Cozumel Is For Cruises Worldwide, American Airlines To Start Miami-Merida Flight

The port of Cozumel, Quintana Roo, will be the number one destination for cruises worldwide this year, with 3, 607,885 passengers and 1,111 scheduled arrivals, according to projections of the lines that make up the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA).

In a statement, the Tourism Secretariat said that Mexico shows this year its leadership in cruise vacations by receiving 2,286 cruise ships and serving 6.4 million visitors in 14 ports. Cozumel, Quintana Roo, will be the maritime terminal with greatest movement on a global scale.

The agency reported that in 2015, the FCCA reported a movement in Mexico of 5.5 million passengers, while in 2016 the influx increased to 6.1 million. This year it is foreseen a growth of 4.9 percent to a total of 6.4 million cruisers.

“As a destination — and according to the projections of the FCCA — Cozumel will register this year an influx of 3,607,885 passengers; Representing 181,184 passengers more than in 2016, when it captured 3,426,701 people,” said the head of the unit, Marisol Vanegas Perez.

“We celebrate the leadership of Cozumel in the matter of cruises, we want to stay in this position and, through the public policy implemented in the administration of Governor Carlos Joaquin González, contribute to reducing inequalities and generating more and better opportunities for all,” added Vanegas Pérez.

After Mexico, the FCCA indicate that Bahamas will occupy the second largest site with 4.4 million passengers, in third place the United States with 2.1 million; Puerto Rico with 1.5 million; St. Maarten and Jamaica with 1.5 million; Cayman Islands, 1.4 million, and Dominican Republic with one million cruisers.

After a six-month delay, American Airlines finally has announced startup of its Miami-Mérida-Miami flight, which will arrive at the Manuel Crescencio Rejón International Airport on June 2.

It will make Yucatan appear in the international scene as a reference on international air connectivity, announced the head of The Tourism Promotion Secretary (Sefotur), Saúl Ancona Salazar.

The official recalled that this route will have seven flights each week during high season, while in the low season there will be five. Prices range starts at $380 USD, with fares varying with the proximity that the day of purchase has to the travel date.

American Airlines has always been characterized by establishing several groups of seats at affordable prices, as demand increases, rates will be better, he remarked.

The first flight will arrive at noon with its 90 seats already sold, as well as the one that returns to the city of Miami, which is calculated to leave the airport of the city at one in the afternoon.

There is a good expectation: Miami represents a hub, so flying is important not only for people who want to travel to Florida but for those interested in going to Boston, New York, Toronto, the Caribbean, South America and even Europe.” said Ancona Salazar.

According to the official, the delay in the launch of this route was due to schedule adjustments and permissions management.