Numbers down, spending up
According to the Mexico Tourism Board, tourists
spent up to US $10.8 ($12.8) billion in Mexico on everything
from hotels and sightseeing to restaurants and cultural
institutions through November last year. US $100 ($118.2)
million more than during the same period in 2005.
However, while spending was up through November, the actual
number of arriving tourists was down by 19 million, a little
over three percent. The most likely causes of the lower numbers
are attributed to the damage wrought by hurricane Wilma and the
extensive press coverage of violent demonstrations in Oaxaca.
However, Mexico's tourism sector is showing "clear signs of
recovery".
International flight arrivals (including charter flights)
were up 1.2% to 12.1 million through November, and hotel
occupancy averaged 58%, about the same as 2005.
The number of cruise passengers fell 4.6% to 6 million
through November, but spending by cruise passengers was down by
just seven-tenths of a percent. In 2005, 22 million tourists
visited Mexico, spending US $11.8 ($14) billion
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