Following Mexico’s national and local elections in June, many elected and appointed offices around the nation change hands during the month of October. On the tourism front, one of those transitions is the departure of Michelle Fridman, who has served as the secretary of tourism for the state of Yucatan since 2019.
Michelle Fridman is the outgoing secretary of tourism for the Mexican state of Yucatan.
Credit: 2024 Yucatan Travel
As she prepares to move on, Fridman is reflecting on Yucatan’s continued growth. According to the latest figures released by the state, the number of overnight visitors in Yucatan jumped by 4.3% between January and June 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, with a 1.7% increase for domestic visitors and an especially impressive 15.3% for international visitors. The city of Merida experienced a similar surge in international visitors in the first half of 2024.
Infrastructure and services in Yucatan, meanwhile, are adjusting to serve increased demand. Between 2022 and 2024, for example, more than 50 hotels have opened around the state, adding more than 800 rooms to hotel inventory. And a recent expansion of Manuel Crescencio Rejon International Airport in Merida, the state capital, has doubled its capacity to 4.7 million passengers annually.
Airport upgrades have made it easier for Viva Aerobus, a discount carrier with a hub in Merida, to expand its presence in the destination, a strategy that includes new service to multiple U.S. cities. The airline debuted new nonstop flights connecting Merida with Miami and Orlando, Florida, this summer and plans to launch new service between Los Angeles International Airport and Merida starting Dec. 18. In addition, the carrier’s new, nonstop flights between Merida and Tijuana, which start Nov. 3, may appeal to travelers in Southern California who use the Cross Border Xpress facility.
Expectations for the Future
New airline service is one of the reasons Fridman is optimistic about continued tourism growth in Yucatan.
We are sure that demand will continue to grow, with the help of many entrepreneurs who continue to invest and increase the hotel, restaurant and unforgettable experience offerings.
“The increase in air and sea connectivity with the U.S. has been constant and allowed us to grow year after year, both in the number of overnight visitors and excursionists, as well as in the economic impact of tourism and average daily spending per passenger,” she said. “We are sure that demand will continue to grow, with the help of many entrepreneurs who continue to invest and increase the hotel, restaurant and unforgettable experience offerings."
Also improving connectivity and providing fresh travel options for visitors is Tren Maya (Mayan Train), the passenger rail service with seven stations in the state of Yucatan that also runs to neighboring states.
“The main intention of the project is to give easy access to tourists and local residents,” Fridman said.
The latest news, according to Fridman, is that Tren Maya inaugurated section five, which will operate as far as Tulum and the entire southern part of Quintana Roo, near Chetumal, where it will close the circuit to Escarcega (a city in the state of Campeche), to complete the route around the entire peninsula.
While government officials are hopeful Tren Maya will boost tourism and economies throughout the region, Fridman notes that it’s still too early to analyze the project’s effectiveness.
“It is premature to talk about statistics on the impact of the passenger volume of the Mayan Train on tourism in the peninsula, since the train began operations in December 2023,” she explained, although she did note several positive effects that are already apparent. “This project has helped investment and also created a significant economic spillover, to the extent that the stations and their road network continue to expand. We are sure that the connectivity created, both in the state and other destinations, will strengthen the development of programs for new tourism products.”
Looking forward, Fridman highlights several goals she says will help keep Yucatan’s tourism sector on a positive growth track.
“Investment, product development, training and infrastructure in Magical Towns and the coastal area will have to be strengthened in the following years to promote greater economic and social development, in the context of better sustainable management of resources,” she said. “Infrastructure has also allowed us to increase the number of Magical Towns, implement the development of the Mayan product and improve the infrastructure of several micro-tourist destinations."
The objective, she says, is that in the following years, the next government will continue working on strengthening air, land and sea connectivity to improve the experience of international tourists and to improve the quality of life for local communities.
