Tourist Visits from Russia to Mexico’s Cancun up 40% in Two Years

Russian tourism to the state of Quintana Roo has grown by 40 percent over the last two years, local news outlet La Verdad reported citing local tourism authorities.

Russia’s honorary consul in the state, Armina Wolpert, explained that one reason for the growth is the operation of direct flights, adding that a majority of Russian visitors use them to get to Cancun and Riviera Maya.

Wolpert says that direct fights such as the one between Moscow and Cancun have helped the more than 49,000 Russian visitors reach the region.

“Currently there are between four to five weekly flights that are direct, plus obviously the European flights with regular connections from Europe and other flights via Cuba.

“For 2019, we are expecting an increase of at least 15 percent,” she says noting “they were talking about adding two more weekly flights for this year.”

Wolpert explained that the regular flights are provided by two charters, Pegas Touristik and Anex Tour, both Russian tour operators. She says with the recovery of Russia’s economy, tourists from the country began to travel again, resuming once popular trips to Mexico.

“For travelers from Russia, the Mexican Caribbean has become the most attractive destination since eight out of 10 Russian travelers arrive at the Cancun airport.

“The records also indicate that arrivals have increased considerably from November to April of each year, since that is when they prefer to travel,” staying an average of 10 to 12 nights.