Mexico tourism is set for a huge year in 2012

2012 was always going to be a big year for tourism to Mexico, thanks in no small part to the end of the Mayan calendar cycle celebrations in December.

However, it is a fair bet to say that few would have predicted a forecast of 52 million visitors to the country in 2012, as recently announced by the Mexico Tourism Board.

The bold prediction comes on the back of a strong winter break season for the country¡¯s accommodation sector, with hotels throughout the country¡¯s tourism hotspots reporting significant increases in occupancy compared to the previous year¡¯s winter break.

SECTUR, the Mexican Ministry of Tourism, also reported that the number of air arrivals in December 2011 had risen 13 per cent over the same month in 2010 as a record 1.07 million international tourists visited the country.??

Leading growth in visitor numbers were year-on-year increases from Argentina (21.4 per cent), France (12.4 per cent) and Italy (10.5 per cent) as well as traditional markets the United States (10.6 per cent) and Canada (9.1 per cent).

¡°We envisage that 2012 will be a record-breaking year for Mexico in terms of tourism numbers," Mexico Tourism Board chief operating officer Rodolfo Lopez-Negrete remarked.

¡°Mexico's tourism industry is undergoing a stunning transformation - based on a bold strategy of diversification - focused on promoting a broader range of tourism aimed at attracting a new breed of global consumer.¡±