Condé Nast Traveler today announced the results of its annual Readers’ Choice Awards with Merida, the capital of the state of Yucatan once again being recognized as one of the “Best Small Cities in the World”. Merida was one of only two Mexican destinations to be included on the cites list, large of small. Chablé Yucatán was also recognized as one of the Best Resorts in Eastern Mexico, the only property on the list not in Quintana Roo.
 
Yucatán’s capital, Mérida, offers a unique duality of both ancient Mayan culture and modern facilities. Also known as the White City, Mérida is full of history, music, and color. The Historic Center is the second-largest in Mexico and, among its streets, visitors will find large and beautiful French-style buildings that are a testament to the luxurious lives their owners led in past centuries. A popular destination in Mexico, Mérida makes an excellent home base for visiting the rest of the state and its remote destinations, where social distancing is a way of life rather than a concerted effort.
 
Mexico’s newest It destinations because of its diversity in sustainable tourism products, its Ministry of Tourism turned two years under the current administration October 1^st, a period of great results for the state’s tourism industry. This is reflected in the more than 3.2 million visitors who arrived by land and sea in 2019. This number — a record for Yucatán, including more than 2 million overnight visitors — represented an increase of 14.5% in overall arrivals and a 26.9% jump in international visitors over the previous year. Yucatán maintained positive numbers until the first two months of 2020, prior to the Covid-19 crisis, with an increase of 9.1% in the arrival of overnight visitors compared to the same period in 2019, when it registered the arrival of 344,978 tourists.
 
Regarding air connectivity, 104,000-plus seats and six new routes that opened new markets to Yucatán have been added. Today, the international airport of capital city Mérida is doubling the capacity of its air terminal through important infrastructure improvements.
 
To date, there is more than 770 MD of private tourism investment in hotels, restaurants, marinas, tourist parks and tourist products, among others. This is possible thanks to constant work on all the issues that give certainty and confidence to investors, such as strengthening security and various regulatory improvements, as well as the introduction of tax incentives for investors in the interior of the state.
 
The Ministry of Tourism of Yucatán invested nearly 2.7 MD in the urban improvements in the tourist area of Puerto Progreso to provide visitors and cruise passengers with recreation areas, as well as the installation of a modern lighting system at the port dock. With these improvements, the arrival of more than 40 additional cruise ships from different international shipping companies was completed for 2020 and 2021. The previous year, the cruise segment saw an increase of 6.1% with the arrival of 146 cruise ships carrying 470,418 passengers.
 
One of the main goals of the Ministry of Tourism of Yucatán ongoing efforts is innovation with a sustainable vision. More than 60 new tourism products have been developed and integrated in the state’s six tourism regions, covering market segments such as nature, culture, gastronomy, beach, adventure and “urban premium,” among others. With this effort, it was possible to highlight — and bring tourism products to — places like Tekax, which saw a new tourism surge, increasing its visitor numbers by 300%. Today, the historical city — briefly the state capital, in 1845 — has new investments and more qualified personnel.
 
More than 715,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers submitted an incredible number of responses rating their travel experiences across the globe.
 
“The results of this year’s survey, conducted at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, are a testament to the lasting power of meaningful travel experience,” said Jesse Ashlock, U.S. Editor of Condé Nast Traveler. “The winners represent the best of the best for our audience and offer plenty of trip-planning inspiration for all the adventures we can’t wait to have next.”
 
The Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards are the longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry. The full list of winners can be found here.
 
The 2020 Readers' Choice Awards are published on Condé Nast Traveler's website at
 www.cntraveler.com/rca and celebrated in the November issue of Condé Nast Traveler US and UK print editions.