As of this weekend, hotels in Jalisco will be able to increase their capacity to 50 percent.
The relaxation of the rules will be a boost to Puerto Vallarta, whose hotel occupancy rate in July was just 14.4 percent, local tourism board director Luis Villaseñor told the Banderas Bay News website. There is room for optimism, as weekend occupancy in July rose to 24 percent, just one percent shy of the limit imposed by state authorities.
Although cruise ships are not berthing yet, flights are returning to Vallarta: the port welcomed 15,000 visitors from the United States in June and 35,400 in July, Villaseñor reported. August’s figures are expected to be even higher.
Although Vallarta’s popular malecon boardwalk is not fully open, there is access to its restaurants and shops. Guadalajara visitors have returned to the city with tales of full beaches, and life going on much as normal. Whether this will continue once schools resume in-person classes is another matter.
In addition to an ongoing Covid-19 awareness campaign, tourism authorities are undertaking digital promotion campaigns and working closely with travel wholesalers to draw back visitors.