Mexico: number of international tourists 2019, by country

In 2019, the vast majority of tourists arriving by air in Mexico flew from the United States, with approximately 10.8 million passengers hailing from U.S. airports. As connection flights through the United States are common en route to Mexico, this figure includes visitors from all around the world and not only U.S. residents.

Traveling from the United States

Air passenger arrivals from the United States were significantly lower than the number of U.S. citizens visiting Mexico in 2019, suggesting that many U.S. tourists travel to Mexico by land or sea. Cruise ship passenger arrivals in Mexico have steadily increased over the past decade, arriving largely from U.S. ports across the Gulf of Mexico. With a continental border that spans over three thousand kilometers, many U.S. residents cross into Mexico by personal vehicle — not only for leisure but increasingly medical tourism, particularly in bordering towns.

Medical tourism in Mexico

Driven by continually rising out-of-pocket payments in the most expensive health care system in the world, more and more U.S. residents are seeking routine services as well as critical care in Mexico, traveling from both near and far by car and plane. A large disparity between the two nations’ currencies also makes medical services in Mexico comparably cheaper for patients who live in the United States.