April proved to be an historic month as Puerto Peñasco with the Easter holiday boosting tourism numbers, a non-stop flight service began departing from the airport, another clean beach recognition was awarded to the city and the mask mandate was finally lifted.
Puerto Peñasco saw positive tourism numbers over the two-week period of Semana Santa and Easter Week receiving over 132,000 visitors from Mexico and mostly the American southwest with a revenue of 159,367,000 pesos says the Puerto Peñasco Convention and Visitors Bureau, OCV, who said once again is proves Puerto Peñasco is the premier tourist destination in northwestern Mexico.
According to the surveys conducted by the OCV in coordination with condominium operators, rental home services and hotels, there was an average occupancy rate of over 92% and 96% on the weekends! Its hard to top those numbers!
In other notable news, Calafia Airlines launched their first non-stop flight from Puerto Peñasco (PPE) to Tijuana (TIJ) that is expected to open the doors to our, “sleepy little fishing village” to the bustle of national and international passengers originating from the west coast and giving a boost to an already booming tourist and real estate market.
A bonus for residents flying out of Puerto Peñasco is the newfound ability to connect with hundreds of flights leaving from Tijuana to other destinations within Mexico, the U.S. and around the world. For example, from Tijuana it will be possible to connect to Loreto (LTO) and La Paz (LAP) in Baja California Sur. Residents will be able to hop on connecting flights to the many destinations offered at Tijuana International Airport.
The OCV said that the activation of this aerial connectivity will shorten distances for new tourism opportunities and open business markets wishing to take advantage of reduced travel times. This in turn will translate into longer stays in this port, which offers the cleanest and warmest beaches in northwestern Mexico, the desert and its dunes, the Pinacate Reserve, significant hotel infrastructure, great cuisine, quality service, and many places to explore. This is a win/win for the city and will help to expand our tourism industry and real estate economy.
Another clean recognition known as the national Platinum Beach award was given to Puerto Peñasco’ s Sandy Beach and the beach located at Islas del Mar that recognizes a standard of excellence in cleanliness and sustainability.
Marcia Ortega Morales, Municipal Director of Ecology and Sustainable Development, said that this award was a welcomed surprise and comes with hard work following strict measures and protocols. Puerto Peñasco is now home to two, INMC recognized clean beaches! The Sandy Beach certification extends from Playa Bonita hotel to the Las Palomas Beach & Golf Resort complex, while Islas del Mar was recently acknowledged as the longest stretch of certified clean beach in all of Mexico. In addition, Manny’s Beach in the Mirador maintains its international Blue Flag status.
Finally, some welcomed news was received last month as the Puerto Peñasco Municipal Safety Council lifted its mandatory mask mandate last month allowing citizens to enter any Government office, restaurant, commercial businesses and enclosed spaces mask-free for the first time since the Covid pandemic March 2020. The last step now is to allow students to go back to class mask-free and lift the mask-mandate for schools.
About the author: Joseph Sanchez is president of Rocky Point Home Builders a design/build contractor specializing in custom home design, construction and engineered renovations and a real estate agent with RE/MAX Legacy specializing in the sale and development of new homes. He resides here in Puerto Peñasco with his wife and three children and is originally from Chicago. For more information email him at sales@rockypointhomebuilders.com.
