BY DAVID FLORES
A Tax That is Not a Tax is Coming Around. Starting sometime in January, foreign tourists visiting Southern Baja will kindly be asked to pitch in 350 pesos (about $18 USD), which the state will use for public safety, education and culture. This new “tax” has been in the planning stages since 2016 when the government wanted the airlines to add it automatically to the ticket cost, but they declined. Then the government approached the hotel association, which also declined. Five years of negotiation later, the hotels said yes, if it’s voluntary. The government will deploy booths at the international airport, in hotels and in other areas where our precious tourists can pay. The keyword here: It is voluntary.
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New Cruise Ship Dock to Be Built. Early next year, a new cruise ship dock will begin construction in La Paz, near the Canta Mar hotel in Pichilingue. The API marina management company, in charge of all the marinas in Southern Baja except Cabo San Lucas and San Jose will be in charge of hiring the construction company.
More Canadians to Arrive in Los Cabos. As the Kelowna (YLW) airport has regained its International status, more flights to Mexico are being announced starting November 30. Flights to Alaska and Seattle will resume on December 16, while flights to sunshine destinations like Phoenix, Varadero, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Cancun won't take off until January. Transport Canada announced today that international flights carrying passengers will be permitted to land at eight more Canadian airports starting on November 3.
Los Cabos to Break Record Again This Year. The Los Cabos Tourism Fund (Fiturca) estimates we will end the year with more than 3 million air passengers visiting us. That would be 15 percent more than in 2019. The number of flights has increased from 400 to 500 a week, and we receive tourists from 26 cities, up from 21 two years ago. The average revenue that a tourist leaves behind is $3,300 USD, 3.5 times more than any other resort destination in Mexico. Hoooray!
70’s and 80’s Legendary Rock Band To Visit Cabo. The American rock band Kiss, formed in 1973, will be in Los Cabos as part of their Farewell Tour. They will arrive aboard their Kiss Cruise ship that will sail from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada from November 29 to December 3 next year. The band also co-owns a restaurant bar in the hotel zone of San Jose del Cabo, the Rock and Brews at Plaza del Pescador.
More Promotion for Southern Baja. Our state’s secretary of tourism attended the “Tianguis Turistico” that was held in the city of Merida, in the state of Yucatan in southern Mexico from November 15 to 18. Tianguis is a Mexican word for open market or street market, and this is the 45th edition, where hotels, airlines and tourism-related services from around the world get together to buy and showcase vacation opportunities throughout Mexico. This year, representatives from 42 countries will be present with over 3,000 exhibition booths and nearly 1,500 possible buyers.
European Tourism Coming Back Soon. The Los Cabos Tourism Fund stated that little by little, flights from London to Mexico are returning and more Brits are making a connection to visit Los Cabos. There was a direct flight from London to Cabo scheduled for early 2020 but the pandemic grounded it. Back in 2019, Los Cabos welcomed 10,000 European tourists and Fiturca is working with 5 different companies to begin bringing them back from Germany, Switzerland, Spain and the United Kingdom, and we’re ready to tour them around.
