Puerto Vallarta’s hotel occupancy has fallen by about 20 percent compared with the same period last year, according to Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus. At a press conference, Lemus attributed the decline to the lingering effects of the violence of February 22 and to the exchange rate — not to recent crocodile attacks and sightings that have drawn media attention.
Lemus said recovery will take at least 12 months. “The effects of February 22 will take us at least a year to recover from, and also an effect that is outside our hands, which is the exchange rate,” he said.
The violence of February 22 erupted after a federal operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG). In Puerto Vallarta, armed men burned vehicles and set up barricades, while masked individuals torched at least six commercial storefronts, including convenience stores and a pharmacy, along a single block of Avenida Francisco Villa. Armed assailants also forced their way into the city’s prison, facilitating the escape of 23 inmates.
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