Air service and airport capacity
The delegation's talks included British Airways, TUI, Ávoris and Blue Bay Travel, with officials seeking to strengthen commercial partnerships and sustain European visitor traffic. According to El Economista, rising jet fuel prices and their effect on route profitability were central concerns, alongside efforts to secure more flights to Cancún and Cozumel for 2027. The sector describes 2026 as a year of shrinking air capacity.
El Economista also reported plans for individual meetings with Virgin Atlantic, Aer Lingus, Iberojet and World2Fly, among the airlines and tour operators controlling Caribbean travel inventory. The schedule included DerbySoft, which connects hotels with agencies worldwide. These meetings were planned; the report did not establish that all had taken place.
Airport capacity was another part of Quintana Roo's presentation. The state announced that Cancún International Airport will reopen its fourth terminal in December 2026. Mexico's second-busiest airport after Mexico City's AICM would then be the country's only airport with four operating terminals and one of just three in Latin America with that configuration. The reopening would give it capacity to handle more than 30 million passengers annually.
Europe's share of Quintana Roo tourism
Figures from Quintana Roo tourism authorities show the scale of the European market: the state received more than 1,256,000 European passengers in 2025, accounting for 59.9% of European travelers to Mexico. Authorities put European visitors' average stay in the state at 11 days.
Tourism authorities separately reported more than 486,000 visitors from the United Kingdom in 2025, or 2.4% of all tourists visiting Quintana Roo. A distinct measure from Mexico's Unidad de Política Migratoria recorded 369,183 British-nationality passengers arriving in the state by air that year, representing 77.7% of British air arrivals to Mexico.
At the national level, the federal Tourism Secretariat reported 254,839 UK tourists from January through July 2026, up 0.3% from the same period in 2025. The UK ranked fourth among Mexico's source markets for international tourists arriving by air during those seven months.
Mexico's presence at the London event
WTM London ran from November 3 to 5, 2026. Mexico's federal Tourism Secretariat said the event attracted representatives from more than 180 countries, along with 4,000 international exhibitors, 5,500 specialized buyers and more than 46,000 attendees.
Tourism Undersecretary Nathalie Desplas Puel headed Mexico's national delegation on behalf of Tourism Secretary Josefina Rodríguez Zamora. The Mexico Pavilion covered 396.75 square meters and brought together Quintana Roo, Jalisco, Veracruz, Baja California Sur, Mexico City, Yucatán, Chihuahua, Chiapas and Baja California, as well as the Mundo Maya and Tren Maya projects.
The national delegation met with the UK's FCDO, Aeroméxico, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, ABTA and VisitBritain.
Promoting diving, culture and food
Quintana Roo officials emphasized attracting visitors from a broader range of markets while promoting beaches, cultural heritage and specialized attractions. Diving is one segment they want to expand beyond the traditional sun-and-beach offering. Cueto Riestra said about 600,000 tourists visit the state specifically to dive each year. The state published a second edition of the Official Dive Guide of the Mexican Caribbean and presented it at the DEMA Show in New Orleans.
Food tourism initiatives include the state's first certification process for traditional cooks and the first Gathering of Traditional Cooks of Quintana Roo. Officials scheduled the gathering for November 21-22, 2026, at Parque del Jaguar in Tulum. They chose Tulum in part because eight of its restaurants are included in the Michelin Guide.
