For the Mazatlán Carnival, hotels are reaching 85 percent occupancy. Hoteliers are advising that there is still availability for those still undecided about coming to Mazatlán.
The most popular carnival dates for visiting Mazatlán are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, confirmed Pepe Gámez, a hotel executive, who noted that this year’s trend was to book earlier, unlike last year’s carnival.
“We saw that booking in advance was better than last year. So, some hotels still have availability.”
The hotelier reiterated that the challenge lies in maintaining positive average occupancy rates, as seen in 2023-2024.
“We have to work to ensure Mazatlán has good occupancy levels every day of the year.”
He estimated that a recovery is possible, given the promotional strategies being implemented.
“Everything is possible; it doesn’t happen overnight. Just because someone goes there and participates in some kind of event or makes an appearance at an international tourism fair doesn’t mean they’ve already secured a package deal. Nor does going there to Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, or Cancún guarantee anything. I’m talking about those destinations that have a slight advantage over us. Just because we go there and have a presence doesn’t mean we’ll come back with 10 signed flight deals to operate from Europe or Spain.”
He cited that consistency sets the course, as with flights from the United States, which have been knocking on doors for years and will eventually materialize, but they don’t happen overnight.
In an analysis of visitors arriving in Mazatlán, he specified that Mexico is the number one market, representing 90 percent, while the remaining 10 percent are international visitors.
“The destination has shifted to a 90-10 split. Back in the 80s, it was the other way around: 90 percent from the United States and 10 percent from Mexico. Now it’s reversed due to different conditions; destinations are constantly evolving, and so on.”
In this context, he mentioned that there’s an upcoming tourism fair in Bogotá, Colombia, which is also an important showcase. He noted that, unlike FITUR, it’s a closer and more accessible market.
“It’s a market where people can travel and connect from anywhere in South America to Mazatlán. Specifically, you fly to Mexico City, and with a layover of two to three hours, you take another flight to connect to any destination in the country. Well, what interests us is Mazatlán. And that’s because, let’s say, it’s more feasible.”
Regarding the negative perception that has been created, he said that it doesn’t help promotion at all.
“Yes, unfortunately, the image, the perception, isn’t positive. However, it’s not unique to us; it’s happening throughout the country. The general situation is like this.”
“Thanks to technology, we now have other ways to communicate, whether via Zoom, Meet, or telephone. But it is important to also be present in the markets. In physical presence, we ourselves take our own precautions,” he maintained, adding that dynamics must change across the board due to insecurity.
Gámez Valle insisted that this is a national issue, not one focused specifically on Mazatlán, even though there are campaigns against it that claim otherwise.
Finally, he admitted that there have been cancellations in some places, but they have been replaced by new bookings.
“It was an effect that I would call positive: you buy in advance, it’s very cheap. But you have to buy and pay. And I also give you the flexibility to change the date; that’s how we work at the three Pueblo Bonito resorts.”
Then, he added that the carnival days are undoubtedly going well.
He recalled the ups and downs, from 2012, when records were being broken, to 2020, the pandemic, and then, once the pandemic ended, the city went on the upswing as a destination with the highest hotel occupancy rates.
“From the 22nd, 23rd, 24th, and 25th, except for the beginning of the first half of 2024, which was still a record. But starting in the last quarter of 2024, we were affected. So, the goal is to achieve the record numbers we had in 2023 and the beginning of 2024.”
Source: noroeste
