By José Antonio Perez
Though municipal officials estimate approximately 125,000 visitors made their way to Rocky Point over the traditional three-weekend span of Spring Break, the local Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates there were around 150,000, reporting 100% occupancy rates at area hotels and rentals. Municipal Tourism Director Luis Altamirano Almada commented, this surpasses numbers of 2016 when an estimated 110,000 Spring Breakers visited the area, pointing to around a 10% increase in tourism.
Underscoring the importance of tourism as one of Puerto Peñasco’s main economic engines, the Municipal Tourism Director remarked the city seeks to continuously innovate by providing quality weekend events so that visitors can enjoy experiences to complement the natural beauty of the beach, boat rides, and the Pinacate Biosphere Reserve.
Convention and Visitors Bureau President, Héctor Vázquez del Mercado, noted Spring Break expectations were certainly surpassed, representing economic revenue of over 160 million pesos between the period stretching from March 8th – March 20th.
Sadly, this Spring Break did report one fatal car accident in which a young driver died from his injuries as he traveled with friends to Rocky Point. Still, given the substantial number of visitors, the overall evaluation of the busy 2017 Spring Break period was favorable.