Cancún International Airport is handling fewer travelers than it did a year ago, and one Quintana Roo columnist says the state should take a hard look at Acapulco before small problems become big ones.
In a recent opinion piece, writer Joaquín Moreno argues that no tourist brand is untouchable. Cancún, the Riviera Maya, Tulum, and Cozumel spent decades building an international name, he writes. So did Acapulco.
From the 1960s through the 1980s, the Pacific port was one of Mexico’s top showcases for foreign visitors. Then it lost ground to newer destinations. Moreno lists the reasons: crime, poor maintenance, aging infrastructure, unplanned growth, and fading competitiveness. Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 storm that struck in October 2023, and Hurricane John in 2024 made things far worse.
Acapulco is now rebuilding. Fonatur, Mexico’s federal tourism development agency, reports 4.7 million hotel guests from January through August, up 21.9% from the same period in 2025. Nearly all were Mexican. International guests numbered just under 52,000.
The numbers in Cancún
Cancún’s airport moved about 20.9 million passengers from January through September, down 5.9% from 22.2 million a year earlier, according to operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, or ASUR. International traffic, which drives most of the region’s tourism spending, fell 6.5%. In September alone, international passengers dropped 11.8%.
The airport set a record in 2023 with more than 32.7 million passengers and hasn’t matched it since.
Moreno is careful not to overstate the data. Flight capacity, prices, and global competition all play a role, he notes, and fewer passengers doesn’t mean tourism has collapsed. The slowdown isn’t unique to Cancún, either. Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos have also lost international passengers this year.
The Visitax question
What concerns Moreno most is how visitors are treated on the ground.
In October, foreign travelers told local media that booths in the airport’s Terminal 2 were asking up to MX$550 (about US$30) per person for the Visitax, Quintana Roo’s fee for foreign visitors. In December 2025, the state government said the fee would stay at MX$285 (about US$15) through 2026. The MX$550 figure also appears on private websites that present themselves as authorized collectors.
This isn’t the first time. Last December, when travelers reported airport charges of MX$525, a state tax agency supervisor told Por Esto! that a higher rate applied there because the terminal sits on federal property.
Moreno says he isn’t claiming every charge is illegal. He wants officials to explain the legal rate, who is authorized to collect it, and why visitors report different amounts. As of late October, ASUR had not commented publicly on the complaints.
Taxis and the competition
Airport transportation is another sore spot. Complaints over high fares, unclear pricing, and limits on ride-hailing pickups have dogged Cancún for years. Uber began operating in the city in 2016, setting off a long fight with taxi unions. In July 2025, it started letting travelers book authorized taxi-type vehicles at the airport through its app.
Meanwhile, the competition keeps growing. The Dominican Republic welcomed a record 6.6 million visitors in the first half of 2026, up 7.7%, and expects 12 million by year’s end. Moreno acknowledges that countries count tourists differently. Still, he says, the point stands: travelers have options, and a bad experience can send them elsewhere next time.
His wish list includes transparent tax collection, clear taxi fares with a way to report abuse, steady investment in beaches and public services, and public data explaining the drop in visitors.
Cancún and Acapulco have different histories and markets, Moreno writes, and he doesn’t believe Cancún is destined to follow the same path. But regaining lost ground can take years.
“This is not a prediction of disaster. It is a call to act in time,” he writes.
Fast Facts: Cancún Tourism by the Numbers
- Official 2026 Visitax rate: MX$285 (about US$15) per foreign visitor
- Reported airport charge: up to MX$550 (about US$30)
- Official payment site: visitax.gob.mx
- Cancún airport passengers, Jan.–Sept. 2026: 20.9 million, down 5.9%
- International passengers, same period: 13.8 million, down 6.5%
- Acapulco hotel guests, Jan.–Aug. 2026: 4.7 million, up 21.9%
- Dominican Republic visitors, first half of 2026: 6.6 million, up 7.7%
With reporting from Por Esto!, Reportur, and EFE, with data from ASUR and Fonatur