By José Antonio Pérez
Puerto Peñasco Convention & Visitors Bureau (OCV) president Héctor Vazquez del Mercado affirmed 2019 was a great year in tourism for Puerto Peñasco, with an influx of 2.2 million visitors.
While Puerto Peñasco tourism numbers on the year were similar to 2018, with a 4% rise in foreign tourism countered by a similar reduction in the number of tourists from Mexico, detailed Vázquez del Mercado, the destination saw greater revenue and distribution of economic benefits. He noted 2019 had economic revenue of 107 million in tourism dollars, or rather over 2 billion pesos.
While Puerto Peñasco continues to strengthen its spot as a preferred beach for visitors from across the U.S. southwest, Vázquez del Mercado believed the topic of safety, along with a slow economy in Mexico, impacted the 4 to 5% growth tendency the area had seen over the past five years.
Vazquez del Mercado highlighted the tourism market’s positive behavior during 2019 is a great motivator to revive continuous growth from national markets including Tijuana, Mexicali, Nogales, Ciudad Juarez, Hermosillo, among others, without neglecting the international market.