The Quintana Roo Tourism Information System (SITUR), an agency of the State Ministry of Tourism, publishes a monthly report called "¿Cómo Vamos en Turismo?" (How Is Tourism Doing?) with granular figures by destination, visitor type and source market. Unlike the aggregate state-level report, SITUR breaks hotel occupancy down across thirteen destinations and tracks cruise traffic port by port. What follows is the analysis of the first four months of 2026.
Overview: 6.99 million tourists
The Mexican Caribbean closed the first four months of 2026 with 6,986,779 tourists, virtually identical to the same period in 2025 (-0.1%). The right way to read that number is not stagnation but consolidation on top of a record base: 2025 was the best year in the history of tourism in Quintana Roo, with 20.2 million visitors and 71.3% annual hotel occupancy. Holding that level in 2026, in a more difficult global environment, is a sign that the destination has matured.
Methodology note: SITUR publishes cumulative data (January, January–February, January–March, January–April). Individual monthly figures for February, March and April were derived as the difference between consecutive cumulative totals. Hotel occupancy data is preliminary.
Visitor volume month by month
The monthly pattern shows a stable demand curve. January leads as the strongest month of the period, driven by the North American winter high season; February eases slightly as the Canadian ski season winds down; and March and April show a sustained recovery driven by Easter week and spring break.
| Month | Tourists | Cruise visitors | Airport passengers | Tourist chg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2026 | 1,830,211 | 886,777 | 2,943,372 | +0.3% |
| February 2026 | 1,650,274 | 726,120 | 2,678,994 | +0.7%* |
| March 2026 | 1,766,283 | 892,443 | 3,002,079 | +0.3%* |
| April 2026 | 1,740,011 | 735,932 | 2,634,536 | -0.1%* |
| Total Jan–Apr | 6,986,779 | 3,241,272 | 11,258,981 | -0.1% |
* Change in the cumulative total versus the same period in 2025. Tourist figures for February, March and April derived as the difference between cumulative totals. Source: SITUR / SEDETUR Quintana Roo.
Visitors by destination: Riviera Maya and Cancún dominate
SITUR breaks visitor volume down across thirteen destinations. The Riviera Maya—which includes the Cancún–Tulum Corridor, Playa del Carmen and Tulum—accounts for 39.3% of all visitors in the cumulative January–April total, followed by Cancún with 37.3%. Together, these two destinations capture more than 76% of the state's tourism.
| Destination | January | Feb | Mar | Apr | Total Jan–Apr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancún | 688,072 | 624,048 | 663,340 | 629,239 | 2,604,699 |
| Riviera Maya | 728,782 | 652,903 | 680,361 | 682,063 | 2,744,109 |
| — Corridor | 449,101 | 407,255 | 424,518 | 401,946 | 1,682,820 |
| — Playa del Carmen | 142,157 | 120,554 | 129,767 | 146,106 | 538,584 |
| — Tulum | 137,524 | 125,094 | 126,076 | 134,011 | 522,705 |
| Costa Mujeres | 114,501 | 97,695 | 113,733 | 111,643 | 437,572 |
| Puerto Morelos | 76,683 | 72,677 | 74,430 | 82,743 | 306,533 |
| Cozumel | 79,551 | 77,050 | 81,675 | 69,591 | 307,867 |
| Chetumal | 45,745 | 33,168 | 36,918 | 39,763 | 155,594 |
| Holbox | 27,743 | 33,103 | 51,926 | 55,696 | 168,468 |
| Bacalar | 26,845 | 21,633 | 20,943 | 23,826 | 93,247 |
| Isla Mujeres | 21,812 | 21,838 | 22,278 | 22,212 | 88,140 |
| Mahahual | 13,148 | 10,186 | 12,556 | 15,739 | 51,629 |
| Maya Ka'an | 7,329 | 5,973 | 8,123 | 7,496 | 28,921 |
| TOTAL | 1,830,211 | 1,650,274 | 1,766,283 | 1,740,011 | 6,986,779 |
Source: SITUR / SEDETUR Quintana Roo. Individual monthly figures for February, March and April derived as the difference between cumulative totals.
Holbox posted the fastest relative growth of the period: it went from 27,743 visitors in January to 55,696 in April, an increase of +100.8% in four months. That pace, on top of a hotel inventory that is still limited, points to upward pressure on rents and land values in the northern part of the state.
Hotel occupancy by destination: the numbers that matter
Hotel occupancy is the most direct indicator of how profitable a tourism real estate asset can be. SITUR reports it destination by destination, which makes it possible to compare markets with very different profiles. In the cumulative January–April 2026 data, the north coast destinations are holding occupancy above 79%, confirming the structural strength of the Riviera Maya as an investment market.
| Destination | January | February | March | April | Jan–Apr avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Morelos | 81.7% | 87.3% | 79.3% | 70.1% | 79.6% |
| Cancún | 82.2% | 83.4% | 80.3% | 75.0% | 80.2% |
| Riviera Maya | 79.4% | 85.3% | 80.2% | 75.0% | 80.0% |
| Costa Mujeres | 81.6% | 83.6% | 76.2% | 74.8% | 79.1% |
| Cozumel | 78.8% | 84.5% | 80.2% | 69.6% | 78.3% |
| Isla Mujeres | 79.4% | 85.5% | 78.3% | 65.8% | 77.3% |
| Playa del Carmen | 77.1% | 82.8% | 78.2% | 77.1% | 78.8% |
| Tulum | 73.2% | 81.8% | 71.9% | 66.5% | 73.4% |
| Holbox | 73.1% | 69.7% | 78.2% | 71.8% | 73.2% |
| Bacalar | 64.3% | 61.7% | 60.3% | 68.6% | 63.7% |
| Chetumal | 54.5% | 50.0% | 58.8% | 57.3% | 55.2% |
| Mahahual | 47.8% | 41.0% | 50.1% | 62.8% | 50.4% |
| Maya Ka'an | 37.6% | 33.9% | 41.3% | 43.0% | 38.9% |
Source: hotel associations, Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council, municipal tourism offices. Preliminary data.
Puerto Morelos: the market that is consolidating
Puerto Morelos reached 87.3% occupancy in February, the highest reading of any destination in the period. With a hotel inventory that is still small and growing demand from high-spend travelers looking for an alternative to the crowds of Cancún and Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos offers an attractive value spread for developers targeting niches with above-average revenue per room.
Riviera Maya: the steady engine
The Riviera Maya averaged exactly 80.0% occupancy over the first four months of the year. The consistency matters more than the peak: no month fell below 75%. The Cancún–Tulum Corridor concentrates the largest absolute volume of visitors within the Riviera Maya (1.68 million in four months), while Playa del Carmen shows the steadiest month-to-month occupancy (between 77% and 83%), which makes it the least seasonal market in the corridor.
Tulum: demand is growing while supply expands
Tulum recorded 522,705 tourists in the period with average occupancy of 73.4%. The gap versus the Riviera Maya and Cancún is explained mainly by the fast expansion of hotel inventory along the Tulum–Aldea Zama–La Veleta corridor, which has added new rooms faster than demand has grown. Over the medium term, as the Tulum airport (TQO) rebuilds connectivity, occupancy is expected to converge toward the levels of the northern corridor.
Cruise visitors: Cozumel at an all-time high
Cruise traffic in Cozumel posted its best first four months on record, with 2,160,656 passengers and crew (+15.87% versus 2025). Every month in the period grew by double digits, with April standing out at +36.01% year over year.
Growth in cruise tourism does not translate directly into hotel occupancy—cruise visitors sleep on board—but it does drive demand for services, retail, restaurants and activities. For Cozumel, it represents a volume of daytime spending that sustains the local economy and, by extension, residential demand and short-term vacation rentals on the island.
Airport passenger traffic
Quintana Roo's four airports (Cancún CUN, Cozumel CZM, Chetumal CTM and Tulum TQO) handled 11,258,981 total passengers in January–April 2026, a 3.71% decline versus the same period in 2025. The drop comes down to two specific factors: the contraction of the domestic market and reduced operations at the Tulum airport.
| Airport | Jan–Apr 2025 | Jan–Apr 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancún (CUN) | 10,759,514 | 10,497,575 | -2.43% |
| Cozumel (CZM) | 259,589 | 260,148 | +0.22% |
| Chetumal (CTM) | 142,902 | 135,407 | -5.24% |
| Tulum (TQO) | 530,873 | 365,851 | -31.09% |
| Total | 11,692,878 | 11,258,981 | -3.71% |
Source: Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste; Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional (Mexico's Ministry of National Defense).
The decline at the Tulum airport (-31.09%) accounts on its own for much of the total drop. It reflects adjustments to route structure and slot availability at the new airport, not a contraction in demand for Tulum as a destination—visitor volume in Tulum grew during the period. Cancún airport, which handles 93% of all traffic in the state, posted a moderate 2.43% decline, consistent with a selective reduction in domestic flights (-6.77% in the domestic segment) partly offset by international growth.
The passenger drop at the Tulum airport is operational and temporary. What matters for the real estate market is that visitor volume to Tulum (522,705 visitors in the period) is holding firm. Most visitors to Tulum still arrive through Cancún and travel overland, an efficient route given that the distance is 130 km (81 miles).
Market composition: who visits Quintana Roo
In the cumulative January–April 2026 data, 70.1% of visitors are international and 29.9% are domestic Mexican tourists. That split, consistent with prior years, confirms the Mexican Caribbean's structural dependence on long-haul markets, particularly North America.
| Market | Tourists Jan–Apr 2026 | Share | Air passengers (chg.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2,499,186 | 35.9% | -8.35% |
| Mexico (domestic) | 2,098,344 | 29.9% | -7.44% |
| Canada | 1,260,567 | 18.1% | +12.25% |
| United Kingdom | 144,891 | 2.1% | +10.05% |
| Argentina | 139,993 | 2.0% | -5.16% |
| France | 102,328 | 1.4% | +1.64% |
| Colombia | 68,577 | 1.0% | +17.38% |
| Germany | 61,193 | 0.9% | -8.63% |
| Chile | 57,313 | 0.8% | — |
| Spain | 55,984 | 0.8% | -0.75% |
| Other markets | 498,403 | 7.1% | — |
Source: SITUR / Unidad de Política Migratoria, Registro e Identidad de Personas (Mexico's migration policy unit), AFAC.
The most relevant finding on market composition is the growth of Canada: +12.25% in air passengers, which cements it as the second-largest source market and the fastest-growing one of the period. The Canadian market has a high-spend profile and a strong preference for the Riviera Maya's all-inclusive resort segment, which partly explains the Corridor's high occupancy levels.
The decline in the U.S. market (-8.35% in air passengers) deserves context: it is a correction against a historically high comparison base (2025 was a record year for U.S. travel to Mexico), not a structural shift in preferences. The United States remains the leading source market with 35.9% of the total and 2.5 million tourists in just four months.
What the data tells investors
The first four months of 2026 confirm three structural conclusions for the Riviera Maya's tourism real estate market:
1. Hotel occupancy is the floor, not the ceiling. Holding an 80% average over four months—including April, considered low season—across an inventory of 140,000 rooms is an exceptional result. It means demand absorbed the available supply with a positive structural margin. For an investor, a base occupancy of 75–80% in the weakest months of the year means vacation-rental return projections can be built on conservative assumptions and still look attractive.
2. Market diversification lowers risk. The expansion of Canada (+12%) and the United Kingdom (+10%) as growth markets, together with gains from Colombia (+17%) and Brazil (+18.9%), shows that the Mexican Caribbean's demand base is broadening. The destination depends less on any single source market than it did five years ago.
3. Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen are the least volatile markets. Puerto Morelos posts the highest occupancy in shoulder season (87.3% in February), and Playa del Carmen shows the smallest seasonality spread in the corridor: barely 6 percentage points between its best month (82.8% in February) and its weakest (77.1% in January and April). For an investor who prioritizes predictable cash flow over peak returns, these two markets offer the most robust profile in the state.
Land in the destinations with the highest occupancy
Tierra Caribe holds positions in Playa del Carmen, Tulum, the Corridor and Puerto Morelos. If you are looking for land with development potential in the markets this report identifies as the strongest performers, take a look at our land bank.
View the Land BankData source: Quintana Roo Tourism Information System (SITUR) — monthly "¿Cómo Vamos en Turismo?" reports for January, February, March and April 2026, published by the Quintana Roo State Ministry of Tourism at siturq.gob.mx. Individual monthly figures for February, March and April are derived as the difference between cumulative totals; the official cumulative figures are the ones published directly by SITUR. Hotel occupancy data is preliminary according to the source.
I help developers and investors find land with real feasibility in Quintana Roo and Yucatán. I write about the market, regulation and the variables that move land value in southeast Mexico.