Cancún International Airport — Cancún, Mexico

Few airports illustrate the power of planned tourism development as clearly as Cancun International Airport, which opened in the 1970s as part of a government strategy to transform an undeveloped stretch of Caribbean coastline into a resort powerhouse; today CUN ranks among Latin America's busiest airports by international passenger volume. Four terminals handle the enormous seasonal influx of vacationers arriving mainly from the United States, Canada, and Europe, feeding not only Cancun's hotel zone but the wider Riviera Maya corridor including Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Charter and scheduled carriers alike compete for landing slots during peak winter months, while summer brings a somewhat quieter, more budget-conscious crowd. Beyond tourism, the airport supports a growing base of Mexican domestic travelers, making it a genuinely dual-purpose gateway rather than a purely international resort hub.