Baja officials note significant tourism increase over Easter weekend
Baja California tourism officials say they saw a significant increase in visitors during the four-day Easter weekend compared with the past few months, bringing much-needed income to economically struggling tourist destinations.
At a news conference Monday, Tourism Secretary Oscar Escobedo Carignan said 143,000 U.S. and Mexican travelers spent about $18 million from Thursday to Sunday. Last year, the state tallied 149,000 visitors during the popular vacation period, when spring break and Christian Holy Week coincide.
“We consider it a success story,” Escobedo said. “We feel there's a turnaround as far as tourist activity.”
Tourism officials say a range of factors contributed to the decline in visitors to the state last year, including reports of crime, lengthy border lines, an economic downturn in California and the announcement of stiffer U.S. proof of citizenship requirements for border crossers.
Hotel occupancy was highest in the Gulf of California community of San Felipe, which registered average occupancy rates of 99.4 percent for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. In Ensenada, the figure was 84.5, and Rosarito Beach, the average occupancy was 62.5 percent, according to the tourism secretariat's tally.