Mexico Hosts 39 Million Tourists, Earns $21 Billion

Mexico saw record revenues from international tourism in 2017, netting 21.3 billion US dollars from the sector and up 8.3% from 2016, Tourism Minister Enrique de la Madrid said Thursday.

In a press conference, de la Madrid said that 2017 had seen "historical numbers" for tourism. He said Mexico received 39.3 million foreign travelers in 2017, a 12% increase from 2016, Xinhua reported.

This makes the sector the third-largest source of income for Mexico, behind the automotive industry and remittance from abroad.

The minister said in the last five years, Mexico has pioneered a special strategy for tourism backed by public policies that allowed the Mexican tourism sector to experience "an unprecedented boost to the development of a modern, competitive and environmentally responsible tourism offering."

"Today, over 10 million Mexicans live directly or indirectly from tourism," said Eduardo Sanchez, a government spokesperson.

Since 2012, Mexico's gross domestic product has grown by an average of 2.5% a year. The tourism sector has outpaced the national economy with growth at 3% a year, Sanchez said.