During the current winter season, which is generally considered to be a low tourism season, Puerto Peñasco finds itself welcoming an uptick in winter visitors from abroad, affectionally termed “snowbirds.”
“Snowbirds” tend to travel south in the winter from Northern U.S. and Canada, detailed Lizette Ibarra, Director of the local Convention and Visitors Bureau (OCV). Ibarra noted that before closing out 2022, RV Parks were reporting 50% occupation rates, though closed out with rates of up to 80%. This points to a rebound in winter visitor numbers to the area, she added, though a more precise evaluation will need to be done about mid-February.
The OCV Director considers redirecting promotional campaigns to specific sectors has had positive results, such as to “snowbirds”. She added there has been an upwards trend in the flow of “snowbirds” who flock to Arizona though consider Puerto Peñasco as “Arizona’s beach”.
With this in mind, noted Ibarra, beyond the traditional RV parks, tourist businesses in Puerto Peñasco are betting on “snowbirds” to help sustain tourism through the winter. One strategy, explained the OCV Director, is to show snowbirds that Puerto Peñasco has a similar climate to that of Arizona, but with the added plus of the sea and beach.