LatinNews Daily - 14 August 2026

*Mexico has registered records in key tourism indicators in the first half of 2026, with the government forecasting it will surpass last year’s total of 48m international tourists, buoyed by the Fifa football World Cup, Tourism Minister Josefina Rodríguez Zamora said. Mexico received 51.1m international travellers between January and June, up 7.7% year-on-year, including 24.5m international tourists (overnight visitors), up 4.6% year-on-year. Tourism revenue reached US$18.78bn in the first half of 2026, up 0.5% year-on-year, while cruise passengers hit a record 6.6m, up 15.2%, generating US$575m in spending, up 18.7%. In June alone, Mexico received a record 8.2m international travellers, up 2.1% year-on-year, with the average spending of those arriving by air rising 9.6%. Rodríguez highlighted the World Cup’s impact, noting that Mexico City (CDMX), Jalisco state capital Guadalajara, and Nuevo León state capital Monterrey, the tournament’s three host cities, saw tourist arrivals rise more than 36% in the first half of the year. Combined with Day of the Dead celebrations, the Formula 1 CDMX Grand Prix, and an NBA match in CDMX at the end of October and start of November, as well as state-level tourism agendas, she said this should produce a “strong close” to the year. Amid a decline in US visitors linked to reduced flight frequencies, Rodríguez said Mexico was diversifying its markets, citing growth from Colombia, Brazil, Japan, and Canada. She noted 40% of travellers in the first half of the year came for cultural reasons. Rodríguez also announced Mexico will host an international tourism fair in Guadalajara from 10-12 November, expecting around 5,000 participants, and said a new strategy for the country’s 177 Pueblos Mágicos, towns earmarked for their cultural richness, historical relevance, or cuisine, would be unveiled the same month.

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