Additional routes between Mexico and destinations in Europe and Latin American will be added this summer via several airlines including Aeromexico, Virgin Atlantic, Air Europa, Brazil’s TAM and Chile’s LAN. Passengers can expect to see new direct flights between Cancun and London (Gatwick), Cancun and Lima, Mexico City and Sao Paulo, and Mexico City and Madrid. In addition, Aeromexico is adding more flights between Mexico City and Barcelona.
Mexico's Tourism Secretary Gloria Guevara Manzo indicated in a statement that the move is part of the country's diversification strategy which involves decreased reliance on tourism from the United States.
In April 2011, the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning regarding Mexico, urging Americans to avoid the country. The alert was largely based on the drug cartel violence that has increased since President Felipe Calderon's implementation of a war on drugs strategy in 2006. The actual impact on tourists, and the relative safety of the country, has been a point of contention with recent investigations suggesting that Mexico is a safe tourist destination.
Though the additional flight routes can only help Mexico's economy, numbers from the Ministry of Tourism suggest a steady interest in the country. In April, Mexico received 888,769 visitors by air, a 3.9% increase from the same month a year ago.
