Chichén Itzá, Yucatan — The archaeological site of Chichén Itzá recently broke a visitor record with 7,500 in one day. While Chichén Itzá recorded the most visitors, other sites in the south and southeast have also recorded increases.
Diego Prieto Hernández, the General Director of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), reported that Chichén Itzá broke a record January 23 with 7,500 tourists in a single day. He also says the recorded increases in other sites are Maya Train related.
“We have had a notable increase in the influx of visitors to the archaeological zones throughout the country, but particularly from the Mayan area and very particularly from the areas near the Maya Train route,” he said.
The increase in archaeological visits are said due to Tren Maya, which provides easier access to the sites along with the revamping of the sites with the the Archaeological Zone Improvement Program initiated by the Government of Mexico.
The Program has seen 29 archaeological sites around the Maya Train route rehabilitated. Of those sites, 12 are located in Quintana Roo, 10 in Yucatán, four in Campeche, one in Tabasco and one site in the state of Chiapas.
He highlighted the increase in visitors during 2023 in the archaeological zones that include the Maya Train route compared to the previous year, recorded an increase of 23.5% in Chichen Itzá, 17% in Uxmal 20% and 23% in the archaeological zone of Tulum.
