Hotel Occupancy Low; October's Final Cruise Ship Departs

(Acapulco, NA 29 October) The Acapulco Hoteliers Association reports that this long “All Souls Day” weekend is not attracting the expected number of tourists. They do not point to press reports of violence as the reason, but rather to a change in the calendar. The long national holiday vacation, which falls around November 20 in most years, comes much earlier this year. The start of the Mexican Revolution is technically celebrated on November 20, but due to the transfer of certain holidays to the preceding Monday, the long weekend will start on November 12 and continue through November 15. Thus, many national tourists are holding back in anticipation of that weekend. Advance reservations for the “día de los muertos” long weekend, which culminates on November 2, are down over previous years, to levels of around 40% occupancy. Naturally, a number of last-minute visitors will arrive, pushing occupancies higher, but the initial indicators are somber.

By contrast, Acapulco has benefited from the arrival in October of ten cruise ship arrivals, up from last year, and expects to welcome fourteen more in November. The month’s last cruise ship, the Maltese-flagged “Infinity” of the Celebrity Cruise Line, docked yesterday in the port with almost 2,000 aboard, half passengers and half crew members. After several hours in port, it set sail for Huatulco, Oaxaca at 6:00 pm. “Infinity” will return on November 17, together with “Crystal Symphony” and “Rotterdam.”