Añorve: “High Occupancy Rates a Slap in Guevara’s Face”

(Acapulco, ElSur 3 May) Acapulco mayor Manuel Añorve Baños highlighted the favorable occupancy rates and economic inflows to Acapulco during Holy Week and Easter Week, saying that “it was a slap in the face with a white glove” to Federal Tourism Secretary Gloria Guevara Manzo, who seems to be trying to hurt Acapulco’s tourism industry in favor of other destinations, which she favors for reasons yet undisclosed.

Añorve added, “We are ready for the next long weekend (May 5 and Mother’s Day). Our answer to her is that the government and people of Acapulco were united, and we achieved 9 percentage points higher in hotel occupancy than predicted. And we will have a very good Cinco de Mayo weekend.”

Añorve added that Acapulco will continue to protest the removal of the Tianguis Turístico and that attorneys are preparing to block use by another city of the intellectual property associated with the Tianguis, which belongs to Acapulco. He added, “As mayor, I am not going to keep quiet. I will continue to insist and continue to protest to those who are trying to steal Acapulco’s assets, because [this event] represents $200 million pesos of economic inflow and almost 100% in hotel occupancy.” Añorve made it clear that he believes competing economic interests to be the cause of Guevara’s decision, and that it is not justifiable on policy grounds, implying thereby that money has leaked into the process to distort the policy outcomes.