Merida registers increase in number of national and foreign visitors

Mexico, Dec. 15 (Notimex).- The Tourism Development Minister of Yucatan, Saul Ancona Salazar, reported that between January and October the city of Merida received one million 157 thousand 226 passengers, representing an increase of 14.2 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. He explained in a statement that the influx of domestic tourists increased 15.7 percent and international 8.6 percent, while the movement of air passengers grew 11 percent compared to 2016. According to the tourist information system, the capital of Yucatan registered 64.78 percent of hotel occupancy during the first half of the year and ranked fourth in 42 cities in the country. He stressed that Merida is a national tourist attraction thanks to its wide range of cultural, gastronomic, archaeological and the quality of its services. For these characteristics, Merida is the second destination most requested by travelers to celebrate the holiday season, surpassed only by Cancun, according to the Expedia platform. Finally, Ancona Salazar said that a fundamental part of this development of the Yucatecan capital is the investment of 24 million pesos that has been made so far this year to spread the destination.