Rodrigo Esponda, Managing Director of the Los Cabos Tourist Board, was in Toronto recently and he is very upbeat about tourism recovery to Mexico in general, and to Los Cabos in particular. So far, the visitors have been primarily American but Esponda says Canadians are starting to travel, not in big numbers, “but they have already started.”
Now with the tour operators returning, Esponda is confident that, “because of the measures that we have implemented in the destination, Canadians would really see the difference between Los Cabos and what is happening in many other destinations.”
Esponda is well known to the Canadian industry from his years heading the Mexico Tourism Board in Toronto. Now he tells us the destination was reopened in June 2020, and after a year they know what works and what doesn’t work.
“Of course, it’s not been a straight line, so we’ve had ups and downs,” he says, “but we saw a lot of good things that we implemented that we have learned what works in Los Cabos. For example, the CDC in the United States requires an antigen test in order to travel back to the States.
“When this was going to start, we worked with all the hotels in order to make it very easy, to have an onsite testing.”
The antigen test is now readily available at all properties and is easily accessible.
Rodrigo stresses that while they are trying to make it simple for Canadians to get a PCR test at the resorts, it is more expensive and the Los Cabos website is clear about the cost and the location of the lab or the hospital where the PCR testing is available with prices ranging from $110, all the way up to $200, depending on the location and on how fast it is needed. Should guests wish the test to be done at their hotel, there is a surcharge of $50 to $60 – in other words that’s a convenience for which you pay extra.
Esponda says from the beginning Los Cabos implemented, “a red light system in order to measure capacity controls.
“This was done across all services in the destination. Not only on hotels or restaurants, but it was everything, activities, the airport, transportation, even the supermarkets, or any store – there is a capacity control to offer the best level of service. We’ve seen that works, that people are feeling safe. We conduct an exit survey of all travellers to measure what elements they think worked and what didn’t. And 95% of the travellers say that they felt safe because of the protocols that were implemented in the destination.”
“The face mask is mandatory in all of the destination, even in open spaces.” He added.
“If you are in a resort and for example, when you leave your room, you need to wear it, even if you’re walking outside. Once you settle down in the pool, in your location, then you can take it off. Is the same in any restaurant, when you are eating you can take it off, but you need to wear it walking to your table. Once are at your table, then you can take it off.”
Hotels politely ask guests to comply with the mask mandate, as for restaurants and stores, and Esponda says when people see other people wearing masks the majority comply.
Nightlife has remained closed for about a year and a half only reopening recently.
“We established a curfew at 10:00 PM. So, everything was closed at 10:00 PM, even in the resorts. And that included the room service.” Said Esponda noting they were absolutely serious about containing the spread of the virus.
Thanks to strictness of the protocols in Los Cabos the number of cases remain stable and much lower than in any other region in Mexico. It has the highest testing rate and the number of cases are very low.
“There are only three people in the hospitals in Los Cabos because of COVID 19, in total.” Says Esponda. “Only three. And 85% of the adult population is fully vaccinated in Los Cabos.
“Here there was no hesitancy of anyone to get the vaccine, because everyone works in tourism. The properties and resorts, the restaurants, most of them, they said that you need to get it because it’s part of how we care about the destination. So, they all participated. There is a different type of social consciousness in the destination, because the only thing that we have is tourism.”
It is true that in Los Cabos tourism is everything. There is no other industry.
It’s not a destination that is massive in terms of hotels says Esponda, there are 85 hotels with 18,000 rooms in total. On average, the hotels only have 220 rooms. About 40 of the hotels are All Inclusives. Many of the hotel also offer meal plan options which could include just breakfast, or breakfast and dinners, or they can be flexible.
“It’s a surfing destination, so there are a lot of surfing beaches, a lot of scuba diving and snorkeling, paddle board, a lot of water activities.” Says Esponda
As a destination Los Cabos consists of two towns.
“Opposite brothers.” Esponda calls them, saying one (Cabo San Lucas) is more active, with the marina with restaurants, and some night life. Then on the opposite side, you have a traditional Mexican town (Los Cabos) that is super quiet, very Mexican with the Plaza, the church, the market, the galleries, and very sophisticated cuisine.
“One day you can misbehave and go around and be a very active type. And then the next day, the more romantic, or just go to listen some jazz.”
The geography is what really differentiates Los Cabos from other destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico. Situated on “the edge of the Tropic of Cancer” it offers a dry heat rather than a humid heat, and with only 10 days of rain in a year – golf is a year-round option.
That dependable dry weather, lack of mosquitos, fantastic locations and a high level of excellent service makes Los Cabos an ideal spot for outdoor events and it is becoming especially popular for destination weddings.
Different events can be planned for the desert, the beach, on an organic farm, or on a cliff overlooking the water.
“We have traditional towns that also makes it very nice for weddings.” Says Esponda. “You can have the wedding in the traditional Mexican town at the church and then walk around the cobblestone streets. It’s a different type of ambiance.”
Los Cabos has managed to retain its atmosphere and character by implementing restrictions in terms of height and density. Nothing can be taller than six stories.
“That’s the culture of how things are done. That’s why we are a very safe destination – a physically safe destination, besides the COVID.” Says Esponda.
“But if you check the statistics in terms of safety, in all over Mexico, we are the second, the number two municipality, in terms of safety perception in the community. The national Institute of statistics conducts a survey every three months in a hundred cities around Mexico. And the question is, ‘How safe do you feel in your community?’ We are the number two in all Mexico. And the reason why it’s safe is because (we have) a public/private model (of governance) that makes sure that things are well run.”
Because tourism is the only industry in the area, the private sector needs to keep the destination safe, Esponda explains, so they complement and support the government in order to offer the highest level of safety.
The various segments within both the public and private sectors are very supportive of local needs, they work together to support the whole community. That ‘collective vision’ as Esponda terms it is what makes the destination different.
The pandemic had a huge impact on Los Cabos, as indeed it did on so many holiday destinations. With no government stimulus cheques, families were left with no income, a community alliance was organized, in order to provide food and the basic needs to those families that lost jobs. That helped the community move from being the second hardest hit to now having more formal employment than what it had in December of 2019.
“That was like the benchmark that was set.” Said Esponda, adding that there are even some new jobs being created at the destination. Employment fairs, are being held seeking workers for positions at hotels, and in businesses that are opening and reopening.
“So, there are a lot of new jobs, formal new jobs, being created in the destination.” He says, adding, “We are the very fortunate. Private aviation – international arrivals on private planes – is double what we had in 2019.”
Beginning in September, several Canadian carriers also resumed flights to the destination.
Los Cabos is appealing to multi-generational travel says Esponda, because of the strong differentiation of interests – there are things for both younger and older visitors to do individually, and a number of interests that everyone, in any age bracket, can share.
And the area still maintains its local charm.
Esponda remembers getting a call from some investors who said, “We are planning to build an aquarium.”
His response was, “Why would you be building an aquarium in Los Cabos, when you see the whales right there in the ocean, the rays jumping, the turtles, coming, the dolphins, the sea lions, why would you want an aquarium?”
Why indeed?