Passenger Traffic Continues to Slow Down in Cancun, But There’s a Bright Spot

Cancun tourism is slowing down, the newest airport traffic numbers show. 

After years of breakout growth that made Cancun one of the fastest-growing tourism destinations in the hemisphere post-pandemic, the Mexican Caribbean hotspot is cooling off. 

Air passenger traffic at Cancun’s main airport declined again in May, with a 4.2 percent slowdown that included 2,438.751 total passenger movements. 

That was driven by a 5.9 percent reduction in international traffic, accompanied by a 1.2 percent regression in domestic traffic. 

For the year, passenger traffic stands at 13.76 million in Cancun, 4.8 percent behind where the number was last year. 

It’s not yet clear what’s driving the slowdown: is it a general travel decline, is it the growth of Tulum airport? Is it something else? 

As for the Tulum question, it’s a good one: but several carriers have actually cut down their flights to Tulum in the last year, including American Airlines (which stoped its Charlotte flights), and United, which stopped its Boston service to Tulum, among others. That doesn’t scream growth. 

It’s not yet clear, but it’s something to watch out for as Cancun’s dominant popularity particularly with American travelers means it’s a bellwether for the travel industry at large. 

ASUR, which manages a host of airports in Cancun, reported that its Mexico traffic overall had seen a 3 percent decline in passenger traffic. Not as much as Cancun, but suggestive of a broader country-wide tourism decline. 

But it’s not all grey skies. A bright spot? Delta just reported that Cancun was it’s most-searched for Caribbean destination for summer 2025 travel, so it’s very possible that things are starting to improve higher up on the funnel.

What the slowdown does mean for travelers? Cheaper airfare. You can fly from Fort Lauderdale to Cancun on Spirit for just $239.