Industry bosses remain uncertain as to how quickly the Mexico market will pick up following the swine flu outbreak.
Mexico Tourism Board regional director for Europe and director for UK Manuel Diaz Cebrian expects a 10% fall on the predicted 300,000 UK visitors this year.
Now, although the Foreign Office’s Mexico travel ban has been lifted, it is not known how quickly visitors will return.
Hayes and Jarvis head of commercial Niel Alobaidi said the launch of four additional Mexicana Airlines flights a week to Mexico City from London means more flexible trips can be created, fuelling the revival.
He added: “I’ve given up trying to predict these things. Mexico’s return may take longer [than that of other destinations], but I’m constantly surprised by how quickly certain destinations bounce back.”
Cosmos head of product Sara Gelder said Mexico’s recovery will be driven by commercial deals, with some hoteliers offering discounts of more than 20%. The country is one of the operator’s top five long-haul destinations.
She said: “We’ve seen a few signs of the market improving. If everyone markets and promotes it strongly over the next few months, hopefully the market will come back.”
Meanwhile, Federation of Tour Operators head of health, safety and operational support Angie Hills congratulated the destination for its effective handling of the swine flu outbreak.
She added: “Mexico shouldn’t be judged negatively, because swine flu is a global problem.”
Diaz Cebrian added: “I think this summer will be a bad one for obvious reasons, but I think we will return to normal within six months to a year.”