Mexico City, Aug 16 (IANS/EFE): The number of foreign tourists visiting Mexico reached 11.4 million in the first half of 2011, a 3.3 percent rise compared with the same period a year ago, the tourism ministry reported.

Between January and June, cross-border tourism in northern Mexico grew by 11.4 percent compared to the same period in 2010, the ministry said in a communique.

The average expenditure made by foreign travellers arriving by plane was $161.70 per day, 5.2 percent more than in 2010 and a good bit higher than the $90.90 that visiting cruise ship passengers spent, though spending by the latter group was also up 5 percent over last year.

"In like manner, border tourists (spent) $260 million in the first half of the year, which represents an increase of 2.4 percent compared with the same period in 2010," the ministry went on to say.

In addition, the average spending by border-crossing tourists was $36.80 per day, a rise of 7.4 percent over the first half of 2010.

Tourism is Mexico's third largest source of foreign currency, after petroleum sales and remittances.

Some 22.4 million foreign tourists visited Mexico in 2010 with the most popular tourist areas being the Riviera Maya and the Caribbean resort city of Cancun.