Hoteliers in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, asked authorities to repeat their security strategy of armoring highways during Holy Week, following the positive results of Carnival, where no murders were reported but there were kidnappings.
This is because reservations are flowing favorably and everything points to reaching 90%, estimated José Ramón Manguart Sánchez, president of the 3 Islas Hotel Association.
“After the very positive results of Carnival, we will gradually recover occupancy levels,” he stated.
The hotelier considered Holy Week to be a “trial by fire” since it is a two-week vacation period during which thousands of visitors will arrive constantly, of whom, he explained, 88% arrive by road and only 12% by air.
The surveillance strategy implemented by the three levels of government on the main highways leading to the port—Culiacán-Mazatlán, Durango-Mazatlán, and Tepic-Mazatlán—was a success and is likely to be repeated, Manguart Sánchez stated.
Mazatlán Carnival concluded on March 4, during which it was noted that no intentional homicides were reported, but 10 cases of unlawful deprivation of liberty were documented.
In addition to these disappearances, 15 reports of vehicle theft, 11 of intentional injuries, two of rape, as well as seven home burglaries and five commercial robberies were reported.
Read more | Sinaloa: Murders down 34% compared to the peak of violence in 2024, but it’s the February with the most homicides in a decade
Businesspeople and authorities promote Mazatlán Carnival
Businesspeople, hoteliers, wholesalers, and staff from the Sinaloa Tourism Secretariat are already strengthening awareness of Mazatlán’s Holy Week in 13 cities across the country considered “natural markets,” including Tijuana, Chihuahua, Querétaro, Ciudad Juárez, and Mexico City.
The tour is part of a strategy to promote the destination, especially during this time, and to reverse the perception of latent insecurity both in the state and in the port.
In the words of Tourism Secretary Mireya Sosa Osuna, they are seeking to turn things around and repeat the positive results of the last Carnival, and the interest shown has minimized the negative perception.
“I think Carnival helped turn this around, with the lackluster situation and the spectacle that was there until the second Tuesday of Carnival, and this has earned the port’s trust,” she mentioned.
The state official confirmed that they have managed to implement a strong synergy between the private sector and the authorities in charge of security to regain the trust of vacationers who each year prefer the Sinaloa city to other Mexican destinations.
Source: animalpolitico
