As soon as society has adapted to COVID-19 and the measures of social distancing and restrictions are relaxed in almost all the country, visits to tourist sites increase. So far this year, Mexico has seen an upturn in visits to archeological sites, with 6 million 956 thousand 721 attendees, representing a 114.3 percent growth, with respect to the 3 million 245 thousand 976 in 2021, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism (Sectur) and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
(Por Esto!).- Regarding the main archeological sites of the Yucatan Peninsula, a significant increase has been seen in the historic sites of Quintana Roo, with a more than 20-fold increase in the number of visitors registered the previous year; while in Yucatan, visits have multiplied up to nine times.
Following this context, from January to August 2022, in the archaeological zone of Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, the number one site in visits at national level, one million 889 thousand 700 visitors have been registered, which represents a total increase of 89.6 percent compared to the same period in 2021, when 425 thousand 574 total attendees were counted. That’s not all, in 2022, Chichén Itzá has received more Mexican visitors than foreigners, being the only case in the Peninsula with this trend.
On the one hand, this year there have been one million 529 national visitors, that is, an increase of 135.1 percent over the 425,574 Mexican visitors counted the previous year. On the other hand, 889,171 foreign tourists have been counted, which represents an increase of 55.7 percent, compared to the 570,911 in 2021.
Along these lines, the archaeological site of Tulum, in Quintana Roo, is the third most visited site (behind Teotihuacán, State of Mexico), with a total of 897,798 visitors in the first eight months of the year, representing an increase of 41.3 percent.
In addition, 491,992 international tourists have been counted in Tulum, representing an increase of 69.3 percent, compared to 290,528 the previous year. So far this year, 405,806 Mexican visitors have been registered, an increase of 17.7%, compared to 344,844 in 2021.
In seventh place nationally (behind Monte Albán, Oaxaca; Palenque, Chiapas; and El Tajín, Veracruz), the archaeological site of Uxmal, Yucatán, has experienced a significant recovery in the number of tourists; this year a total of 165,496 visits have been registered, representing an increase of 66.2%, in contrast to the 99,580 counted in the same period last year.
This recovery has been marked by foreign visitors: from January to August, Uxmal has received 165,000 international tourists, a figure that represents a 219.6% variation in comparison with the 290,528 reported in the same period of 2021. Meanwhile, in 2022, the number of Mexicans who have visited the pre-Hispanic precinct is 115,861, an increase of 37. 8%, compared to 84,051 last year.
Likewise, the archaeological site of Chacchoben, Quintana Roo, which is ranked ninth in terms of attendance nationwide (behind Tula, Hidalgo), has received a total of 110,579 visitors, which represents an increase of 2,133.5 percent, with respect to the 4,951 reported from January to August 2021.
Also, in Chacchoben the upward trend has been marked by international tourists: in 2022, 104,490 foreign users have been counted, which represents 2,713. 4% with respect to the 3,714 of the previous year. Meanwhile, 6 thousand 89 national visitors have been reported, representing an increase of 392. 2%, compared to 1 thousand 237 Mexicans in 2021.
In tenth position is Ek Balam, Yucatan, with 108,419 visits in total, which means an increase of 90. 9% compared to 56,794 last year.
Although last year there were more national than foreign visitors to Ek Balam, that trend has been reversed: in 2022 there are 37,226 Mexicans, a figure that represents a variation of 28. 4%; while international visitors total 71,193, that is, 156.1% more compared to the 27,798 in 2021.
Finally, (behind Malinalco, Edomex) in twelfth place is the archaeological zone of San Gervasio, Quintana Roo, where a total of 89,107 attendees have been counted in 2022, an increase of 430. 1%, in contrast to the 16,811 of the previous year.
During the current year (up to August), San Gervasio has received 67,074 foreign visitors, 602. 7% more than the 9,545 in 2021. At the same time, 22,033 national tourists have visited the archaeological zone of Quintana Roo, an increase of 203. 2% in comparison with the 7,266 Mexican visitors of the previous year.
TYT Newsroom
