Los Cabos Posts Record Growth

Los Cabos Tourism Board is reporting a record 13% growth in domestic and international visitors during the first quarter of 2022, a historic increase fueled largely by the destination’s swift response to the pandemic and strict health and safety protocols enforced over the last two years.

In 2021, Los Cabos welcomed an approximate 2.8 million travellers achieving a complete recovery of its tourism activity. In March 2022, Los Cabos recorded nearly 325,000 tourist arrivals — marking a successful and historic month with a record increase of 18 percent in arrivals when compared to 2019.

Los Cabos’ business model combining private and public funding allowed the destination to focus on the implementation of state-wide safety measures, heighten its health and security protocols, and elevate its marketing and communication strategy to keep visitors, consumers, industry partners, and the local community informed throughout the destination’s phased recovery.

The strategic approach has led to a significant increase in demand, especially from affluent travellers, which has strengthened Los Cabos’ position as Mexico’s top luxury travel destination.

Rodrigo Esponda, Managing Director of the Los Cabos Tourism Board, said that: “As a destination that has been challenged over the past few years by the pandemic and international tourism restrictions, we are glad to see tremendous growth driven by our unique business model and the demand among travellers for exclusive and authentic travel experiences.”

He continued: “The pandemic gave us the opportunity to elevate our tourism offering, create new ways of working with our partners, and fine-tune our business model.”

With the new travel protocols in place in Canada, Los Cabos is looking forward to welcoming Canadians for this summer season and beyond.

The numbers of Canadians travelling to Los Cabos has been increasing steadily for this Q1 2022. The overall growth in tourist arrivals led to an expansion of the Los Cabos International Airport to be able to accommodate the steady growing demand of travellers into the destination.

Los Cabos Tourism Board forecasts bookings to the destination will remain strong during the spring travel season, with a projected increase of 11% in anticipated bookings for the month of April 2022, 22% in May and 10% in June. Additional data insights and updates reflecting Los Cabos’ historic turnaround include:

• Over 325,000 travellers in March 2022, a record visitation representing an 18% increase when compared to 2019.
• 70%  average hotel occupancy in Q1 of 2022, with an average hotel daily rate of US$455, the highest in Mexico.
• Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver international airports show increase of flights and passengers to Los Cabos in the last 3 months.
• WestJet shows 52.4% of the market share to Los Cabos from Canada.
• Two new Canadian airlines offer new flights to Los Cabos, Swoop & Flair.
• Close to 80% growth in arrivals of international travellers via private aviation in 2021 when compared to 2019, representing 26% of all air travel activity.

Along with this impressive growth, residents report a change for the better. In a recent report, 58% of Los Cabos residents believe that with the tourist growth of the last five years there is greater awareness in the care of the environment and 54 percent report more protection of natural resources and regulation on the subject.

This response comes as two new funding measures were announced the Environmental Sanitation Tax and the Embrace It Contribution.

The Environmental Sanitation Tax, led by the Municipality of Baja California Sur, calls for approximately US$1.69 daily, per room to be collected from visitors by hotels, timeshares, and lodging facilities across the destinations.

The funding is set to go into effect on June 1, 2022, and will support government investment on environmental infrastructure, sustainability practices, and safety and security, among other projects.

In addition, the reinstatement of the Embrace It Contribution went into effect earlier this year. First launched in 2019 under the name “Fund for a Sustainable Baja Sur,” the program was paused in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was reintroduced in February 2022 as the Embrace It Contribution.

All international travellers visiting the State of Baja California Sur for more than 24 hours are asked to contribute approximately US$20 to support important initiatives needed to strengthen statewide infrastructure, social projects, and the overall economic progress of the people that live and work in Los Cabos. Contributions can be made via the state’s website or at the kiosks installed at SJD International Airport.

Go to www.visitloscabos.travel for more.