Mexico Enjoys Double-Digit Cruise Tourism Growth for First Half of 2026

Mexico remains a hot cruise destination that millions of passengers enjoy. To be precise, 6.5 million passengers have arrived in Mexico on a total of 1,839 cruise ship visits in just the first six months of 2026.

This is a 17.1% increase in passenger arrivals above the first six months of 2025. The increase in the number of cruise ship arrivals is just 12.2%, which confirms that larger vessels are also visiting Mexican ports, bringing with them greater passenger capacities.

“Mexico is in fashion,” said Josefina Rodríguez Zamora, Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism when releasing the latest figures on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.

The increased cruise traffic is a boon to local economies around the various cruise ports as guests enjoy shore tours and local shopping, dining, and attractions.

“Each cruise ship that arrives at our ports represents more opportunities for Mexican families who depend on tourism. With each visitor, we boost the local economy and continue to make Shared Prosperity a reality in our communities,” said Rodríguez Zamora.

Cruise Hive previously reported the expected growth for Meixcan ports, but the new release from the Ministry of Tourism confirms the country’s continuing popularity.

In fact, the confirmed numbers are even more promising than the previous expected increase of 14.8% in cruise passengers and 10.0% in ship calls.

Which Ports Grew the Most?

Multiple top ports in Mexico showed significant increases in cruise traffic. The most startling increase was for Puerto Chiapas with a 90.2% increase in guests and a 71.4% increase in ship arrivals.

Puerto Chiapas is located on Mexico’s Pacific coast at the southern end of the country, just 16 miles from the border with Guatemala. While a relatively new destination, ships from Princess Cruises and Holland America Line both have calls planned to Puerto Chiapas in the next few months.

Also on the Pacific Coast, the more familiar ports of Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas saw guest increases of 69.2% and 64.5%, respectively. Both are popular destinations on Mexican Riviera itineraries as well as repositioning cruises.

In total, Mexico’s Pacific ports saw a total of nearly 2.3 million passengers visiting in six months on 680 cruise ship arrivals. Compared to 2025, this is an increase of 36.4% in guests and 19.9% in cruise ship arrivals.

Read Also: One of These Mexico Cruise Ports Could Be on Your Itinerary

Meanwhile in the Caribbean, 4.3 million passengers have visited Mexican ports on 1,159 cruise ship arrivals. These numbers are up 8.9% and 8.1% respectively from the first half of 2025.

The Caribbean port with the greatest increase is Progreso, with 21.6% more guests visiting on 12.9% more cruise ship arrivals than the same time period in the previous year.

Cozumel is up 10.0% in guests and 8.5% in cruise ship arrivals. As the most popular port in Mexico, the island destination welcomes multiple cruise ships nearly every day, with several days each month seeing 4-5 ships at Cozumel’s docks.

Will the Growth Continue?

There are no signs that Mexico’s popularity will be slowing anytime soon, though not all communities are eager for double-digit increases in either cruise guests or ships.

Recent challenges to Royal Caribbean’s planned Perfect Day Mexico development near Costa Maya, for example, have included petitions and ecological concerns that resulted in the project’s cancellation in May 2026.

The Mexican government has since been working with Royal Caribbean to find a different location for the project or else modify the plans for better environmental compliance.

While no options have yet been confirmed, there is enough interest in cruising to Mexico that the project will likely find a new home in the future as Mexico’s cruise sector continues to grow.