Mexico's tourism industry posted a surplus of $8.27 billion in the first nine months of 2017, up 15.4 percent from the same period last year, the Tourism Secretariat said Thursday.

"The favorable trend in hard-currency receipts from international visitors has generated a significant surplus in the country's tourism balance," the secretariat said in a statement.

"Last year, the tourism balance was $9.34 billion, helping to counterbalance the country's overall trade deficit," the secretariat said.

An estimated 10 million jobs are either directly or indirectly linked to tourism in Mexico, the secretariat said.

Mexico generated $16 billion in hard-currency earnings from tourism and welcomed 28.6 million foreign visitors during the first nine months of 2017.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) ranks Mexico No. 8 in the world in terms of tourist arrivals, with 35 million foreign visitors traveling to the North American nation in 2016.