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Direct flights on British Airways from London to Cancun have finally resumed after being suspended for over 9 months due to the pandemic.
324 passengers landed on a British Airways flight on Thursday marking the return of British tourists to one of the most popular tourists destinations in the world during the pandemic thus far.
The return of Brits to Cancun was welcomed by the Quintana Roo Governor, Carlos Joaquín on Twitter.
“Today a flight arrived with 324 passengers in Cancun from London . One more step in the gradual and responsible reactivation of our paradise,” Joaquín said.
The tourism hotspot had good reason to celebrate as British tourists make up the third largest tourism market for Cancun and the Mexican Riviera.
Brits Permitted To Travel Internationally With Reduced Quarantines
With Brits now being allowed to leave the country after a second lockdown ended on December 2nd, the new direct flights will be welcome news for UK tourists looking for a tropical escape.
With most of Europe on lockdown, the relaxed entry requirements for Mexico might just be the draw to bring hoards of Brits to Cancun.
The new shortened quarantine rules in the UK will also give travelers the opportunity and the time to visit Cancun.
A new ‘test to release' program will go into effect on Tuesday December 15th which will allow British citizens to take a COVID-19 test and be released from quarantine after only 5 days.
If travelers are not willing to take part in the new test to release program, the UK Government also announced they will be reducing the mandatory quarantine period to only 10 days starting on December 14th.
The London – Cancun flights will fly three times weekly on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Flight time will average around 10 hours from London.
The market is important for the Mexican Caribbean as in 2019, 76% of UK travelers arriving in Mexico landed in Cancun.
Director General of the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council, Darío Flota Ocampo expressed his gratitude for the reactivation of the flights.
“We've had meetings with the airline's representatives since June and have been hosting seminars for travel agents. The arrival of British flights and the European market will be important in the upcoming months,” Ocampo stated.
European Markets Expand Connectivity to Cancun
The UK wasn't the first European airline to resume flights to Cancun.
On October 1st, the first Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt arrived. On the 3rd of October, Edelweiss arrived from Zurich and on the 4th, Air France landed from Paris
Then on December 3 Turkish Airlines resumed flights from Istanbul to Cancun.
In November, The Cancun international airport registered 1.25 million visitors recovering over 61% of its tourism numbers from last year.
With upwards of 300 flights a day and direct flights from every major city in the United States and Canada, Cancun is expected to be one of the first tourist destinations to make a full recovery.
Cancun and Playa Del Carmen continue to be the ‘most searched' destinations in the world for 2021.
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Disclaimer: Current travel rules and restrictions can change without notice. The decision to travel is ultimately your responsibility. Contact your consulate and/or local authorities to confirm your nationality’s entry and/or any changes to travel requirements before traveling. Travel Off Path does not endorse traveling against government advisories