Bloomberg Businessweek, Travel Age West and the Washington Post have all taken note of the big Mexico tourism boom that is happening in 2012. According to Bloomberg, Mexican tourism officials say there has been a 5.3 percent increase in the number of international visitors throughout the first quarter of 2012, totaling 4,098,750 people.

More than half of the visitors to Mexico so far this year have come from the U.S. – an increase over the 2011 numbers. The most popular destinations listed as Cancun, the Riviera Maya, Cozumel and Puerto Vallarta.

Travel Age West focused its attention on the Riviera Maya, which is already experiencing a record-breaking year, thanks in part to the end of the Mayan calendar, which is slated for December 2012. However, Riviera Maya real estate has been steadily growing in popularity among international tourists long before the recent Mayan craze, with an increase in visitors of nearly eight percent in 2011 compared to the previous year.

“Riviera Maya continues to appeal to global visitors as one of the world’s top travel destinations, as demonstrated from our record-breaking year in 2011,” stated Dario Flota Ocampo, general director of the Riviera Maya Destination Marketing Office. “We expect 2012 to be another monumental year in Riviera Maya’s tourism as we enter the beginning of a new era in Maya history and continue to position the area as a Mecca for authentic cultural experiences.”

In honor of the coming end of the Maya calendar, which many see as the beginning of a mythological period of rebirth, Tulum is also expected to experience record tourism numbers in 2012. Tulum is one of the region’s most beautiful and increasingly popular cities, and is home to the only Mayan pyramid overlooking the sea. In 2011 Tulum saw a record number of 1,085,288 new visitors, thanks in large part to its modern infrastructure and close proximity to Cancun and Playa del Carmen.

~ Special Thanks to Investment Properties Mexico for Sharing! ~