The turquoise blue water along a sun-drenched Mexican beach is a more appealing prospect than a hostile US border agent. If the comparison seems a bit of a stretch, just ask the Canadians; they’ve been ditching stateside vacations in their droves recently, in favour of a trip farther south.
Now that Aer Lingus has confirmed it will fly directly to Cancún next year, the unprecedented route may prove a timely litmus test for the appetite of Irish tourists and their relative reluctance to visit the US, at least these days.
The carrier will service direct flights to the eastern coastal resort, long popular with Irish people, three times a week from January. Famous for its tropical beaches, party vibe, food and sights, the destination has no need to sell itself. But how might it compete with other North American destinations?
If Irish tourists follow the lead of the Canadians, the Cancún route may prove to be fortuitous timing for Aer Lingus.
Earlier this month it emerged that Canadians, angry at the policies of president Donald Trump, were conducting something of a US travel boycott. The number of their residents visiting Mexico climbed 15.6 per cent in March compared with the same month in 2024.
The Trump administration‘s threats of annexation and trade levies triggered a patriotic reaction, strengthened in turn by reports of harsh treatment towards tourists entering the US.
Ireland has had its own similar experiences. Visitor numbers from the Republic to the US fell 27 per cent in March when compared with the same month in 2024, according to data from the US International Trade Administration (ITA). It was a similar pattern across Europe.
There has been much talk of late about US customs and border protection officers’ ability to trawl through passenger phones to see what they might be up to on social media, a disturbing new reality of travel that is likely to put some people off.
And given Trump’s most recent tariff salvo against the European Union – promising 50 per cent on all imports by June, and who knows what per cent by the time this column reaches print – it is anyone’s guess what EU-US relations might look like when Aer Lingus’s first Mexico flight touches down south of the border.
