The Resilience of the American Vacation in Mexico

Twenty years of escalating violence and recent political tension between the U.S. and Mexico are changing how Americans plan, book, and take vacations south of the border.

Despite the turmoil, few Americans are deterred. They are still going — Mexico's beaches in particular have been a staple for the better part of a century — showing how the countries need this tourism relationship to succeed, even as it evolves. Americans are asking new questions and making new choices when booking trips to Mexico, factoring in safety and costs. Getting tourists away from the coastal resorts and off the beaten path is a growing challenge now.

Still, as destinations expand and lure new travelers across the globe, Mexico remains the most popular country for Americans to visit outside the U.S., according to the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office.

For some Americans, going to Mexico is the only international vacation they can afford. For others, it means access to healthcare. For many of the 36 million Mexican-Americans in the U.S., it’s about cultural connection and seeing family. Conversely, Mexico tourism arguably can’t survive without American visitors — Americans comprised 59 percent of Mexico’s inbound air visitation in 2016 and 2017, followed distantly by Canada at 10 percent for both years, according to Mexican government data. 

“The natural market for us has to be the U.S., because of the connection between the two countries, the proximity,” said José Carlos Azcárraga Andrade, CEO of Mexican hotel company Grupo Posadas, which includes eight brands and more than 170 hotels. “But nevertheless, you always have to be prepared to have a diversified portfolio of customers going to your hotels."

That long mutual relationship perseveres through some of the worst tension the two countries have faced in recent years.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration instituted a wildly unpopular “zero tolerance” policy at the U.S.-Mexico border, in which those who cross illegally face criminal prosecution, leading to thousands of children being separated from their parents. The policy fueled stereotypes about Mexico and Latin America. What's more, people remember that Trump referred to Mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists. Trump continues trying to build a border wall, for which Mexico adamantly refuses to pay, and he pursues isolationist policies like the travel ba