Convention groups planning events in Mazatlán are conducting security inspections in the municipality.
Motorcyclists, Alcoholics Anonymous, athletes, and concerts are planning to meet in Mazatlán from April to November of this year, as long as the security measures are in place.
The director of the Mazatlán Convention Center, José Alberto Ureña, considered it normal that organizers of large-scale conventions scheduled to be held in this city would request a tour of the city, given the anxiety generated by the wave of violence at the state level, which is also affecting this city.
“Fortunately, we spoke with the major organizers of planned events so they could meet with local and state authorities. They heard the truth from them and toured the city without being told,” he explained.
Ureña argued that, knowing about the violent incidents taking place in Mazatlán, the supervision carried out made them confident that there was no risk to their convention attendees.
“Nervousness, normal doubts because there’s some information that needs to be put into perspective. And I told them, don’t take my word for it, come and talk to key people who trusted them,” he added.
He cited the smooth, uneventful flow of violence during the Carnival season and the preservation of the music lineup greatly helped convince those who were uncertain about their future conventions.
He recalled that the growth momentum in the meetings segment that had been building since 2024 can hopefully be recovered.
“Perhaps not with the upward growth momentum we had after the eclipse. It will take us a while to recover, but maybe we can surprise ourselves,” he said confidently.
José Alfonso Reséndiz Memije, director of the Meetings Industry for the Sinaloa Tourism Secretariat, ruled out the cancellation of any of the 44 convention events scheduled to take place this year, 2025, in the three venues: Los Mochis, Culiacán, and Mazatlán.
What he did confirm is that the convention organizers will inspect the three municipalities where the venues will be held.
“There will be inspection visits by the organizers to strengthen the execution of the events, and we will work hand in hand with any requests they may have. We’re doing well; there have been no cancellations,” he expressed, due to the incidence of violence at the state level.
He applauded the fact that there are no changes to the dates of International Mango Week, Motorcycle Week, some mini-conferences, a National Congress of Medicine, and the Alcoholics Anonymous Congress.
He considered that among the events scheduled for this year, the most important are International Motorcycle Week, the Alcoholics Anonymous convention, and the Mazatlán Cup, which together bring together the largest segment of attendees with the greatest economic impact, which will be distributed throughout the local economy.
2024 closed with around 100 events held, generating 5.5 billion pesos in economic impact, 75 percent of which was generated in Mazatlán alone, the remainder between Culiacán and Los Mochis.
He said that these types of segments travel mostly by road.
Source: noroeste
