“NO stay at home protocols” for Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta, with ‘full’ reservations for Christmas

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On the contrary, destinations such as Cancun, Los Cabos, and the coastal areas of Veracruz have declining occupations.

A few days before the winter vacation period begins, Acapulco registers ‘full’ hotel reservations for the Christmas and New Year holidays, despite sanitary restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

According to authorities of the local tourism sector, the number of reservations confirmed so far has already reached the maximum capacity allowed in hotels, which is 50 percent, especially for the period between December 28 and the first week of January

This means that at least 350,000 tourists will visit the port of Acapulco during the winter vacation period, which runs from December 21 to January 8, although the authorities themselves recognize that this figure could easily double because many visitors prefer to stay in timeshare condominiums, second home units and private properties that are offered through platforms such as Airbnb and social networks.

For this reason and as a preventive measure to avoid the spread of infections after the massive arrival of tourists, the Government of Guerrero analyzes the possibility of canceling the Pyrotechnics Gala that takes place every end of the year along the Acapulco Bay, as well as in the main tourist destinations throughout the state.

This measure is still under analysis due to the pressure exerted by hotel associations, restaurants and tourism service providers who demand that this show be carried out despite the pandemic because they argue that this activity “is one of the best promotions it has Acapulco to attract tourists “.

According to the health sector authorities, Acapulco concentrates the largest number of people infected, hospitalized and deceased by COVID-19 in Guerrero.

Puerto Vallarta increases its occupancy

Puerto Vallarta will close 2020 with an average hotel occupancy of 75 percent .

The forecast is the maximum authorized in hotels, explained the coordinator of the Jalisco government’s economic cabinet, Alejandro Guzmán Larralde. “The tourism industry begins to recover after having been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic.”

Last 2019 closed with 32 million tourists, and just last long weekend, on the occasion of the anniversary of the Mexican Revolution, the destination registered an occupancy of 45 percent of the hotel rooms.

The health table set up by the state government to review what is inherent to the pandemic has promoted different measures and authorized 75 percent occupancy of hotel rooms, although common areas in closed spaces must have a maximum capacity of one person for every four square meters, that is, 25 percent of the usable area.

Likewise, the capacity of the restaurants must be a maximum of 50 percent capacity, or one table yes and one table no. Bars and clubs will have to apply stricter protocols, first reducing their capacity to a maximum of 200 people, and the hours of operation will be until 3 in the morning and the use of dance floors will not be allowed.

At the moment, the tourist destination is projected to have a positive year-end due to the recovery of national and international tourism, mainly from the United States, informed the director of the Tourism Trust, Luis Villaseñor.

“We have recovered some frequencies that no longer operated here, in the case of the United Airlines flight from Newark with daily flights, and American Airlines with its flight from Charlotte,” he said.

Puerto Vallarta has the Safe Travel Seal granted by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), and according to statistics from the Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP) in Puerto Vallarta, the number of national and international flights has continued to grow, as it went from 322 in June to a thousand in October.

In this way, the destination received 289,100 national and international air passengers between June and October. The figure was given after the reopening allowed by the state government, and during this first half of December 673 flights were scheduled.

Cancun, with the lowest occupations in 9 years

8 days before the celebration of the Christmas holidays, Cancun has an accumulated hotel occupancy so far this month below 45 percent, although the sector is confident that they will close December with 65 percent of reserved rooms, which would be the figure lowest in recent years.

These figures mean that, currently, the destination has 19,647 occupied rooms of the 46,448 that are offered in 180 properties, not counting the 17 hotels that are still closed and that offer 2,606 rooms.

Roberto Cintrón Gómez, president of the Hotel Association of Cancun, Puerto Morelos and the continental zone of Isla Mujeres, had announced that this month the lodging centers expected occupancies above 70 percent and some even up to 90 percent. hundred if the epidemiological traffic light in Quintana Roo went from yellow to green, a situation that has not happened.

However, he said that the current conditions of the destination and the state in the face of COVID 19 generate that it can reach 60 and even 65 percent of occupation, a figure that would be low compared to other years, but that allows them to maintain a balance in the finances of their properties.

According to statistics from the State Secretariat of Tourism, occupations in Cancun are located at 44.4 percent; Puerto Morelos, 40.7 percent; Isla Mujeres continental zone, 41.3 percent; Riviera Maya, 26.1 percent; Cozumel, 40.2 percent; and Grand Costa Maya, 26.1 percent.

The state agency reports that there are around 70,445 tourists in the state, a figure that could increase in the coming days as international and national air flights increase.

Cintrón Gómez acknowledged that it would be until the first quarter of 2021 when hotel rates in the destination will begin to recover, which are currently between 30 to 35 percent lower than previous years.

Despite this, the leader of the hoteliers affirmed that the marketing that is carried out online allows them to create an occupancy base with a low or medium rate, but as the capacity of the properties is filled they can increase their prices by that same means.

Los Cabos, also down

Los Cabos, one of the favorite destinations for foreign tourism, has 39 percent in tourist influx due to COVID-19.

According to the Ministry of Tourism, Economy and Sustainability (Setues), Baja California Sur currently reports a tourist influx below 50 percent. The municipality of Los Cabos is at 39 percent, while La Paz reports 47 percent, at the end of a year complicated by hotel closings and other businesses.

The State Health Safety Committee determined that, since Baja California Sur is at level 3 yellow traffic light for coronavirus infections, establishments cannot exceed 50 percent of capacity.

The hotel industry was one of the most affected by the health crisis, according to studies by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi). Baja California Sur’s Gross Domestic Product fell to 37.9 percent between March and June

After a 10 percent occupancy collapse during confinement, associations such as Hotel and Tourist Companies (Emprhotur) see the power to close the year at 50 percent as an opportunity.

However, they acknowledge that it is not even close to being the historical flow of tourists at this time of year that is 70 percent constant during the winter months.

The economic spill of tourists not only impacts hotels but also companies such as restaurants, service providers, and those who are dedicated to supplying. This year, according to the National Chamber of the Restaurant Industry and Spiced Foods (Canirac), up to 100 businesses in this sector closed, which caused a loss of 8 thousand direct jobs and 16 thousand indirect ones.

The worst December for tourism in Veracruz

The month of December of 2020 will be the worst for the tourism sector in the state of Veracruz since it has been registered, said the president of the Metropolitan Tourism Council, Sergio Lois Heredia.

He pointed out that it is estimated that during the Christmas holidays a maximum hotel occupancy of 50 percent is reached in Veracruz when in previous years in the same season it was over 75 percent.

He said that this is mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, since the number of tourist visits that normally existed in the metropolitan area, the main one in the state in the field, has not yet been recovered.

“In December the expectation is to be speaking between 45 and 50 percent of the average occupancy; the first days of this month have been, compared to previous December, weak, “he said in an interview for El Financiero.

In this sense, he expressed that, in recent months, when some restrictions on sanitary measures were lifted, the tourism sector has been recovering little by little an average of 10 percent per month.

Source: elfinanciero.com.mx

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