New York - August, 2020 - As part of an email interview with heads of some of our client destinations, we share the following update on the status of Mexico's reopening as it relates to San Miguel de Allende, Puerto Vallarta and the states of Yucatan and Oaxaca. Below are selected answers, for the full text, please click here.
LAURA TORRES-SEPTIEN, PRESIDENT OF THE SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE TOURISM BOARD
What are you guys doing to try to bring more tourists back? Like most destinations, we have pivoted and centered our promotional activities into digital marketing. We have hired a bigger national agency in Edelman to increase our presence in the Mexican market and keep us on top of mind for the upcoming months. In the US, we have moved our efforts with ENroute Communications to work with Influencer and bloggers (we have been trending topic twice already celebrating our reopening). We will do digital and TV campaigns with stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, NY and Atlanta to keep us top of mind with possible visitors in our “natural markets” and we are increasing our efforts with generating editorial coverage and will be participating in activities with the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) and the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) for the first time. With the Mexican market, we are doing a push with the romance and MICE markets to increase group bookings, all following the new social distance protocols.
STATE OF YUCATAN BY MICHELLE FRIDMAN, MINISTER OF TOURISM FOR THE STATE OF YUCATAN
Q: Do you have any current visitor numbers/booking info or other general data that gives a sense of what you are seeing? Since March 13, when the first case of Covid-19 in Yucatán was detected, the State Government has been implementing important measures to control the pandemic, which lead to the closure of non-essential activities during April and May, which included important tourist services such as hotels, tours, archaeological sites, and natural parks. A state epidemiological surveillance system was established based on indicators such as the number of cases and hospital capacity, based on a 4-color “traffic light” (red, orange, yellow, and green) from which four phases, that go from O to 3, will lead to economic reactivation. On June 8, the state “traffic light” changed to Orange, within Phase 1, which has allowed the limited reactivation of some non-essential activities, among which are restaurants and hotels. The hotels are operating at a maximum of 25% occupancy, being able to receive exclusively work-related visitors. However, the tourist attractions are still closed as a measure to prevent contagion. In Yucatan, we are acting responsibly to ensure that tourist activities can be reactivated soon, without posing a greater risk to our visitors. In this sense, work has been done on the elaboration of safety protocols and on the implementation of the Certificate of Good Sanitary Practices in Yucatán. LUIS VILLASEÑOR – INTERM GENERAL DIRECTOR THE PUERTO VALLARTA TOURISM BOARD Q: Do you have any current visitor numbers/booking info or other general data that gives a sense of what you are seeing? Puerto Vallarta International airport kept reduced connectivity from the US from the beginning of the pandemic. Since the reopening on June 15th, there has been an increase of 46 % in operations from June to July which represented 600 flights coming in and out to Puerto Vallarta in the last month. International flights come from key sources of tourism arrivals, such as San Diego, Los Angeles, San José, San Francisco, Phoenix, Dallas, and Houston. Domestic is coming from Ciudad de México, Monterrey, Guadalajara, León, Aguascalientes and Tijuana. In terms of passengers, in June Puerto Vallarta received 15,000 visitors from the US and in July an increase of 136 % to reach 35,400 people. National arrivals represented in June 20,900 people and in July up to 63,700 passengers, an increase of 205 %. In total in June represented 35,800 passengers and in July 99,300 visitors, this is a 177 % increase month over month. From January to July 2020, there has been a 49.6 % decrease in terms of passengers compared to the same period in 2019 (1,612,300 visitors vs 3,201,400 people respectively)
JUAN CARLOS RIVERA CASTELLANOS, MINISTRY OF TOURISM FOR THE STATE OF OAXACA Q: What percentage of resorts/hotels are open? In the 3 main destinations in Oaxaca, once the sanitary conditions allowed it, the process of the gradual reopening of hotels and restaurants began in coordination with the sanitary authorities who supervise the sanitary protocols as well as the percentage of occupation and services allowed according to the "Epidemiological risk stoplight" to move towards a new normal, which is a monitoring instrument for the regulation of the use of public space according to the risk of contagion of COVID-19. Currently in accordance with the "Anti-COVID 19 Safety and Hygiene Protocol for the Process of Reintegration to the New Normality of the Hotel Services of Oaxaca" and in line with the "orange" phase indicated for the State by the Epidemiological Traffic Light, these establishments they can operate up to 20% of their occupation. Destination Open Hotels Oaxaca City 83% Bays of Huatulco 95% Puerto Escondido 98%