On November 6, 2025, the Ambassador of Mexico to Russia Eduardo Villegas Mejias and representatives of 12 Russian tour operators discussed the situation with increasing cases of refusal of Russian citizens to enter Mexico. The meeting was a continuation of discussions that began in 2024, when the number of Russians turning around at the border increased sharply. Tour operators then complained that up to 10% of tourists were not allowed in, despite having all the documents. TourDom.ru reported that in 2024, over 1.8 thousand Russians were denied entry to Mexico. But Ambassador Villegas said that the information according to which the refusal rate was 10% was considered "false". According to Mexico's Ministry of the Interior, between January and October 2024, of the 28,882 Russian tourists who arrived in Mexico, 1,456 were denied entry, effectively reaching 5%.
After a series of appeals and direct contacts with the Mexican authorities, the situation changed: during a meeting with the Mexican ambassador, the guest government companies providing organized tours reported that in 2025, not a single client with a tour package faced denial of entry at the Mexican border.
Note that the presence of a tour package (package tour) reduces the likelihood of suspicion among Mexican border guards of migration intentions and refusal of entry, since such a tourist has a return ticket, the place of residence, the purpose of the trip and payment for services are documented in advance. However, in the current period, only a few people are buying tour packages from Russia to Mexico. For this reason, the data from Russian tour operators about the absence of entry denials for their clients does not characterize the situation as a whole: denials of entry to Russian tourists to Mexico continue to occur, and their frequency has not decreased. But the number of Russians trying to get through Mexico to the United States has decreased, so there are fewer stories about refusals.
The key topic of the meeting at the embassy was aviation accessibility. Mexico Tourism Bureau spokesman for Europe Jose Moreno said the agency is in talks with two airlines to resume direct charter flights to Mexico. Moreno did not rule out that in the future the discussion may extend to regular routes.
In 2022, Russian airlines came under international sanctions. Aeroflot, Nordwind and Azur Air (Anex Tour) have stopped direct flights from Russia to Mexico. Consequently, Russians are now forced to fly to Mexico with transfers in Istanbul, Havana, Dubai, China or through European hubs. Flights take significantly longer, require more confirmations and are more expensive, which is holding back the flow of Russian visiting powers to Mexico.
Let us recall that international sanctions against Russian carriers were introduced in response to the outbreak of war in Ukraine. Then the United States closed its airspace to Russian carriers, which made it impossible to fly through the Caribbean region, where key corridors pass through the area of responsibility of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); there was a risk of aircraft being arrested abroad, since most of the Russian long-haul fleet was leased from Western companies; Western insurers stopped servicing Russian airliners, and manufacturers stopped supplying spare parts and technical support, which deprived air carriers of the prospect of safely operating transatlantic routes. These risks have continued ever since. In addition, tour operators have curtailed programs due to logistical risks and a reduction in tourist flows, completely eliminating the economic motivation for maintaining flights. The latter calls into question the feasibility of resuming flights.
During a meeting at the embassy, the Mexico Tourism Board (MTB) announced plans to open a representative office in Moscow in February 2026. This public-private structure is responsible for the international promotion of Mexican tourism, advertising campaigns, working with foreign tour operators and supporting the country brand in key markets. In Moscow, the Bureau will also be involved in promoting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, matches of which will be held in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.
A representative of the Mexican Tourism Bureau intends to raise with Turkish Airlines the issue of preventing Russians from boarding the airline's flights. Complaints against the air carrier continue to appear on social networks. Moreno said he plans to meet with management of the airline's Turkish office in the near future.
The meeting with the Ambassador of Mexico was attended by Russian tour operators «Art-Tour», «IC S Group», «IT Em Group-Center», «Vand Voyage», «Vesely Veter», "Intourist" and «Our people».