In addition to affecting hundreds of homes, more than 95 percent of businesses in Acapulco were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Otis, which intensified from a storm to a category five cyclone just 12 hours ahead of making landfall on October 7.
While many residents believe the rehabilitation process could last a year or longer, the federal government and some local businesses are more optimistic.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador promised last week that at least 35 hotels will be open to receive visitors by March 2024, even though virtually all the resort’s 300 hotels were severely damaged by Otis.
Lopez Obrador said the government’s aim is for the 2024 Tianguis Turístico, the Mexican tourism sector’s main trade event of the year scheduled from April 8-12, to go ahead in Acapulco, its traditional venue.
Alejandro Domínguez Aveleyra, the president of the Acapulco Association of Hotels and Tourism, was even more optimistic, saying that in addition to the Tianguis Turístico, the 2024 Mexican Tennis Open will also be staged in the resort next February. The tennis stadium for the event was damaged in the hurricane, but organizers of the tournament believe it can be repaired in time. Whether enough of Acapulco’s infrastructure will be ready to welcome the tennis players and fans is far from clear, however.
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