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Mexico’s immigration officials announced that after deploying a total of 100 immigration officers to Cancun, international travelers arriving in the resort city will clear immigration in 2 minutes or less. The National Immigration Institute (INM) said in a statement that “The INM is working to maintain and offer rapid service, with quality and warmth.”
The INM reported that the Cancun International Airport was able to process over 9000 international arrivals coming in on various flights on Tuesday during its busiest hours with speed and proficiency.
The increase from 13 immigration officers to over 100 came after travelers posted photos and video to social media showing long lines ups and delays at the airport. The posts went viral showing hundreds of people stuck in line with very little social distancing.
On Monday, the Commissioner of the National Institute of Migration (INM), Francisco Garduño Yáñez had promised to add more immigration officers at the Cancun International Airport. It appears the commissioner's promise to speed up wait times and deploy officers at the airport has already been delivered in just three days.
While the immigration officers have been delivered, tourism operators have been calling on officials for years to speed up processes at the airport using technology and digital check-in machines.
In the next 15 days two technology companies will present new systems for digital check-ins at the Cancun Airport. Once a proposal is approved the new computers will drastically speed up arrivals as seen in other major airports around the world.
Once the machines are installed it will decrease the need for the high number of immigration officials that are now deployed at the airport.
Cancun Is Recovering Despite Travel Restrictions
The overall numbers of tourists arriving at the Cancun International airport was about 1.3 million in January. While many destinations around the world are seeing very little tourists or have their borders closed completely, Cancun has already recovered 45% of its tourism compared to before the pandemic.
Cancun Has Adapted To Pandemic Travel
Cancun has been quick to adapt to changing travel restrictions in the United States which is its biggest market. Many resorts are now offering free Covid-19 antigen testing to American guests and some are even going as far as offering free 14 days extended stay if a guest happens to test positive.
Cancun was also the first destinations in the world to receive the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) ‘Safe Travel Stamp‘. Travelers have reported that they feel safe in Cancun and that the city has taken the proper Covid-19 prevention measures including, the mandatory use of masks, social distancing markers, sanitation tunnels and constant temperature checks.
Relaxed Entry Requirements Continue To Make Mexico A Top Destination For Americans
Americans are still choosing Mexico as their number one international destination due to its close proximity to the U.S., direct flight connectivity and relaxed entry requirements. All travelers arriving in Mexico are only required to fill out an online health declaration and present the QR code to airport officials. There is no testing or quarantines required for travelers arriving in Mexico.
Read More:
The Latest 2021 Mexico Travel Restrictions
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Top 10 Destination Right Now That Are Open
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
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