Chiapas recorded 2,946,776 tourist arrivals to lodging in 2024, including 2,498,799 resident tourists and 447,977 nonresident tourists. The state also recorded 2,273,211 national airport passengers and 40,368 international passengers during the year. Together, these figures show a tourism market led by domestic travel but supported by meaningful international demand, especially in Palenque and Tapachula.
Contents
- At a glance
- How travelers arrived by air
- Monthly airport patterns in 2024
- Lodging arrivals across the state
- The main tourism centers
- Museums and archaeological sites
- Cruises and accommodation capacity
At a glance
The following figures describe different parts of the visitor economy, so they should not be added together. Airport passengers measure air traffic, lodging arrivals measure guests arriving at registered accommodation, and attraction visits measure entries to listed museums and archaeological sites.
| Indicator | Period | Reported figure |
|---|---|---|
| Tourist arrivals to lodging | 2024 | 2,946,776 |
| Resident tourist arrivals | 2024 | 2,498,799 |
| Nonresident tourist arrivals | 2024 | 447,977 |
| National airport passengers | 2024 | 2,273,211 |
| International airport passengers | 2024 | 40,368 |
| Registered lodging rooms and units | 31 December 2024 | 25,598 |
| Lodging establishments | 31 December 2024 | 1,275 |
| Cruise passengers at Puerto Chiapas | Period shown | 11,906 |
The CEIEG / Datatur 2024 lodging compendium reports that resident tourists represented 84.8% of lodging arrivals in 2024, while nonresident tourists represented 15.2%. This split is useful when planning transport, accommodation, and visitor information: the largest segment was domestic, but almost 448,000 nonresident lodging arrivals still formed a substantial part of the annual market.
For January–August 2025, Chiapas recorded 1,919,955 tourist arrivals to lodging: 1,655,914 resident tourists and 264,041 nonresident tourists. A separate CEIEG January–June 2025 indicator reported a little more than 1.3 million tourist arrivals to lodging for the first half of that year. These are different published periods and should not be treated as interchangeable totals.
How travelers arrived by air
CEIEG’s tourism page recorded 2,273,211 national passengers at Chiapas airports in 2024. Tapachula handled 1,654,789 national passengers, while Palenque handled 607,298. Tuxtla Gutiérrez’s Angel Albino Corzo airport handled 11,124 national passengers in the same dataset.
International air traffic was much smaller. Chiapas airports recorded 40,368 international passengers in 2024. Tuxtla Gutiérrez handled 27,626 of them, Tapachula handled 12,728, and Palenque handled 14. The airport distribution is therefore different by market: Tapachula led the listed national traffic, while Tuxtla Gutiérrez handled the largest listed international total.
| Airport | National passengers, 2024 | International passengers, 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Tapachula | 1,654,789 | 12,728 |
| Palenque | 607,298 | 14 |
| Tuxtla Gutiérrez (Angel Albino Corzo) | 11,124 | 27,626 |
| Listed Chiapas airport total | 2,273,211 | 40,368 |
For a Palenque-focused itinerary, the airport data and the destination data tell complementary stories. Palenque airport recorded 607,298 national passengers but only 14 international passengers in 2024, while the Palenque tourism center recorded 528,471 lodging arrivals, including 433,580 residents and 94,891 nonresidents. The airport passenger count is not the same measure as tourism-center lodging arrivals, but both figures show Palenque as a significant domestic and international visitor destination.
Monthly airport patterns in 2024
National airport traffic remained above 166,000 passengers in every month reported by CEIEG. The monthly national total was 188,944 in January, 166,349 in February, 187,046 in March, 190,589 in April, 192,645 in May, 176,734 in June, 201,250 in July, 197,297 in August, 183,717 in September, 193,665 in October, 192,515 in November, and 202,460 in December.
The highest monthly national figure was December’s 202,460 passengers, followed by July’s 201,250 and August’s 197,297. February was the lowest reported month at 166,349, followed by June at 176,734. These figures can help travelers anticipate broad statewide air-traffic patterns, although they do not identify demand for a particular route, airport, hotel, or attraction.
International traffic varied at a smaller scale. CEIEG recorded 4,434 international passengers in January, 3,021 in February, 3,456 in March, 3,321 in April, 3,143 in May, 3,733 in June, 4,838 in July, 3,949 in August, 2,378 in September, 2,345 in October, 2,754 in November, and 2,996 in December.
July was the highest reported month for international airport passengers at 4,838. January followed with 4,434, while October was the lowest at 2,345. The monthly airport series is a useful timing reference, but it does not establish why traffic rose or fell in any individual month.
Lodging arrivals across the state
The CEIEG / Datatur 2024 lodging compendium recorded 2,946,776 tourist arrivals to lodging statewide in 2024. Resident arrivals totaled 2,498,799, and nonresident arrivals totaled 447,977. The same compendium reported that the state’s lodging stock grew 10.87% in establishments and 5.58% in rooms and units compared with 2023.
The main tourism centers recorded the following 2024 lodging arrivals:
| Tourism center | Total arrivals | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuxtla Gutiérrez | 882,613 | 805,288 | 77,325 |
| Tapachula | 575,655 | 376,160 | 199,495 |
| San Cristóbal de las Casas | 537,385 | 474,189 | 63,196 |
| Palenque | 528,471 | 433,580 | 94,891 |
| Tonalá (Puerto Arista) | 200,544 | 190,719 | 9,825 |
| Comitán de Domínguez | 181,810 | 181,075 | 735 |
| Chiapa de Corzo | 40,298 | 37,788 | 2,510 |
Tuxtla Gutiérrez was the largest listed tourism center by total arrivals, at 882,613. Tapachula followed with 575,655, San Cristóbal de las Casas recorded 537,385, and Palenque recorded 528,471. Tapachula also had the largest listed nonresident total at 199,495, ahead of Palenque’s 94,891 and Tuxtla Gutiérrez’s 77,325.
The figures for Comitán de Domínguez show a particularly domestic profile in the published data: 181,075 resident arrivals and 735 nonresident arrivals. Chiapa de Corzo recorded 37,788 resident arrivals and 2,510 nonresident arrivals. These differences matter when comparing destination profiles within the state.
The main tourism centers
Palenque’s 528,471 lodging arrivals in 2024 place it close to San Cristóbal de las Casas in the listed tourism-center figures. Palenque’s total included 433,580 resident tourists and 94,891 nonresident tourists. That nonresident count was higher than the corresponding figures for San Cristóbal de las Casas, at 63,196, and Tonalá (Puerto Arista), at 9,825.
The attraction data gives additional context for Palenque. At Z.A. de Palenque con museo “Alberto Ruz L’Huiller,” CEIEG recorded 21,714 domestic visits and 9,225 foreign visits in January, 30,138 domestic visits and 10,750 foreign visits in March, and 23,946 domestic visits and 7,067 foreign visits in December. These are attraction visits for specific months, not annual unique visitors.
The wider tourism-center figures also show why a trip may combine several bases. Tuxtla Gutiérrez had 882,613 lodging arrivals, while San Cristóbal de las Casas had 537,385. Palenque had 528,471, and Tapachula had 575,655. The dataset reports arrivals by tourism center, without establishing how many people visited more than one center during the same trip.
Museums and archaeological sites
Across the listed museums and archaeological sites, CEIEG reported 31,077 domestic visits and 10,934 foreign visits in January. February recorded 24,594 domestic and 11,326 foreign visits; March recorded 40,746 domestic and 12,579 foreign visits; August recorded 32,872 domestic and 9,611 foreign visits; November recorded 21,212 domestic and 14,464 foreign visits; and December recorded 32,398 domestic and 9,687 foreign visits.
Individual sites show substantial variation in the balance between domestic and foreign visits. At Z.A. de Chincultic, January included 1,391 domestic visits and 141 foreign visits. At Z.A. de Bonampak, December included 912 domestic visits and 541 foreign visits. At Z.A. de Yaxchilán, December included 1,181 domestic visits and 556 foreign visits.
Some sites recorded more foreign than domestic visits in the listed observation. Z.A. de Izapa recorded 199 domestic visits and 942 foreign visits in December. The Museo Arqueológico de Comitán recorded 753 domestic visits and 35 foreign visits in July, while the Museo de los Altos de Chiapas recorded 2,580 domestic visits and 536 foreign visits in March. The Museo Regional de Chiapas recorded 1,820 domestic and 102 foreign visits in January, then 2,450 domestic and 27 foreign visits in February.
These site-level numbers are best used as month-specific planning signals. They do not provide a complete annual ranking, and they should not be interpreted as unique people because the reported unit is visits.
Cruises and accommodation capacity
Puerto Chiapas recorded 8 cruise arrivals and 11,906 cruise passengers during the period shown by CEIEG, with an average of 1,488 passengers per cruise. January recorded 2 arrivals and 1,733 passengers, averaging 867 per cruise. October recorded 2 arrivals and 3,999 passengers, averaging 2,000 per cruise. December recorded 2 arrivals and 4,939 passengers, averaging 2,470 per cruise.
The accommodation base stood at 25,598 registered rooms and units across Chiapas on 31 December 2024, according to CEIEG CIGECH turismo. This included 19,432 hotel rooms or units, 1,459 motel units, 1,451 cabin or villa units, 318 camp or albergue units, 2,616 pension or guesthouse units, and 322 apartment or house units with hotel service.
CEIEG CIGECH turismo recorded 1,275 lodging establishments at that date: 28 five-star, 101 four-star, 215 three-star, 186 two-star, 441 one-star, and 304 without category. For longer-term context, registered rooms and units rose from 19,079 in 2014 to 24,253 in 2022, while registered lodging establishments rose from 869 to 1,119 over the same period.
For planning a stay, the capacity figures describe the registered supply available at the end of 2024, while the arrival figures describe recorded demand during 2024 or the specified 2025 periods. They are related indicators, but neither establishes occupancy for a particular property, destination, or travel date.