Thanks to the work that has been done in promotion and on the issue of protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hoteliers in Puerto Vallarta already see occupancy percentages similar to 2019, according to the president of the Puerto Vallarta Hotel and Motel Association, Alvaro Garciarce Monraz.
He stressed that although they have not yet reached 100%, especially for Easter week, they are already at pre-pandemic levels and higher than in 2021 when they had an average occupancy of 60 percent.
“(The percentages) generate an important commitment on the part of the hotel industry. We continue to work with protocols, but also with authorities such as Civil Protection to maintain the safety of visitors. That is, the hotels are already anticipating the service in some way to offer a safe situation,” he said.
Garciarce Monraz stressed that, although the challenge is to compare -and exceed- the 2019 figure, he considered that this first semester could achieve that goal since in March numbers started to rebound.
After the closures and limitations due to the pandemic, Puerto Vallarta is close to having previous occupancy levels. For this, airlines and cruise ships have helped, highlighted Garciarce Monraz.
“We came in very positive years for the destination. The impairment was in April derived from the closure and the idea is to overcome it. Important sectors have helped, such as airlines with more flights and more capacity in each. All the actions that have been taken at the government, business, and hotel levels,” he said.
In addition, he added that he has also seen a revival in the cruise sector. Only in recent days, he stated that one cruise ship arrived with over four thousand people, which helps the destination “show the world that we are complying with protocols and generates more security for the visitor.”
In 2020, Puerto Vallarta, the main tourist destination in Jalisco, received 2.5 million visitors, a figure that represents a 60% drop compared to 2019.
While hotel occupancy in that beach destination was just 35.3%; that is, 51% less than the previous year.
