Alberta tourism minister courts high-spending Mexican travellers
Mexican visitors spent $51 million in Alberta in 2025, a figure the province expects to grow significantly.
MEXICO CITY — Alberta's tourism minister says the province is working to attract more high-spending Mexican travellers, citing a growing northbound travel trend and the province's unique attractions.
"People in Alberta think Mexico is only for one thing, for us to go and enjoy beaches and oceans. But we never think of traffic and travellers coming from Mexico to Alberta," said Andrew Boitchenko in a phone interview from Mexico City.
Mexican visitors spent about $51 million in Alberta in 2025, as the passenger volume from the country increased to about 8,000 from 6,000 the year before, the province calculated.
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Numbers are set to keep growing in Canada overall, with Mexican visitation projected to be 40 per cent higher than 2025 levels by 2030 and spending to increase 60 per cent.
The province aims to reach $25 billion in tourism value by 2035, after a record visitor spend of $15.2 billion last year.
Boitchenko led a mission to Mexico from Oct. 5-9 to strengthen relationships with tourism and government representatives and promote direct air access and Alberta's tourism experience.
Joined by representatives from Travel Alberta, he met with airline, travel, media and government representatives to promote Alberta as a top-tier, year-round destination.
His meetings included Canada’s ambassador to Mexico, the Mexican secretary of tourism, and the Alberta government's office there for trade and investment.
Boitchenko said his department targets sources of high-earning and high-spending travellers, noting more than 300,000 people in Mexico have a net worth greater than $1 million.
"That’s a lot of wealthy people," he said.
He cited simple visa processes, especially for those with a valid U.S. visa, and commonplace non-stop flights as reasons for Mexican travellers to choose Alberta.
"We underappreciate our cold lakes, our fall and spring seasons, and winter is beautiful. (Mexicans) don’t have a winter season like we do," Boitchenko said.
"We have beautiful mountains. We have a lot of snow, and they love coming to Alberta for that. But we also have lakes and many year-round opportunities we’ve developed through our tourism zones, Travel Alberta and our government departments."
He listed year-round mountain resorts, the badlands of Drumheller, dinosaur sites near Grande Prairie and in Devil’s Coulee, and dark sites for viewing the Northern Lights as key attractions.
"We have a lot of areas in the province where people can go and firsthand have life experiences that they don’t have in their own countries, especially Mexico," he said.
Boitchenko called the reception received by Alberta’s delegation "overwhelming," suggesting it may be influenced by unease with the U.S. as a tourist destination.
"When people from Mexico come to Alberta, they feel that it’s different than anywhere in the world," he said, "and that it’s safe, it’s welcoming."
The minister's push for Mexican visitors comes as Mexico remains the top warm-weather escape for Canadian travellers seeking all-inclusive ease.
With files from Wings Magazine and The Spec