Resumption of flights from Brazil to reactivate tourism in the Mexican Caribbean

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – LATAM Airlines’ resumption of flights from São Paulo to Cancun in June will reactivate tourism in the Mexican Caribbean in yet another sign of improved projections for the rest of the year.

“This is great news for the hotel sector in Quintana Roo in general and Cancun in particular,” said Javier Monje, RIU’s head of sales in the Mexican Caribbean, on Tuesday.

“The Brazilian market has always been very important for Cancun and although we were counting on some Brazilian clients making stopovers in Mexico City, there is no doubt that this direct connection will increase the presence of Brazilian tourists,” added Monje.

LATAM Airlines Brazil will operate the São Paulo-Cancun route starting next June 4 with two weekly flights on Mondays and Fridays, and return flights on Tuesdays and Saturdays with a Boeing 767 aircraft with capacity for 221 passengers.

The route was operated between December 2014 and January 2017 and will now be back to improve the connection between Brazil and the Mexican Caribbean, which is one of Brazilian tourists’ preferred destinations.

As such, the Mexican Caribbean hotel’s projections are improving in light of sector reactivation after having some good results in April with the arrival of both North-American and domestic tourists.

“Mexico is a destination open to Brazilians, even at this time of great international restrictions, and there is a strong demand for beaches in the Caribbean. This is a strategic decision, given that we will be the only airline in Brazil to operate the route,” said Diogo Elias, LATAM Brazil’s Sales and Marketing director.

“With 11 of our 12 hotels in Quintana Roo open, all of them with good occupancy numbers, we hope that LATAM Airlines Brazil’s announcement will allow us to complete our portfolio of hotels open in the destination as soon as possible,” said Monje.

“This will enable us to continue improving hotel occupancy and, most importantly, to reinstate the remaining employees in their jobs immediately,” he concluded.

The reactivation of tourism in Latin America is one of the regional governments’ priorities to boost a key economic sector in order to mitigate the crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last week in Punta Cana (Dominican Republic), ministers and vice ministers of tourism from 18 Latin American countries signed a declaration that establishes the key guidelines and the commitment of the region’s leaders to relaunch the sector, promoting a more sustainable and inclusive tourism.

The ministers pledged to “reaffirm all governments and international organizations’ responsibility and commitment to support tourism in order to ensure its rapid, effective, safe and sustainable recovery.”