Gay Nagle Myers
The Sun Triangle, the tourist area on Mexico’s Pacific coast formed by the cities of Acapulco in the south, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo in the north and Taxco in the center, enjoyed its highest summer tourism numbers in the past 10 years.
Official data released by the Guerrero Tourism Board indicated a visitor increase of 15.1% for the region for the 2014 summer season.
The growth represents a 23.1% economic boost for the region, according to Javier Aluni, Guerrero’s secretary of tourism.
“All the signs of a comeback are here,” Aluni said. “The old-Hollywood glamour of Acapulco, the magical history of Taxco and the natural haven that is Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo are increasingly drawing travelers once again, and the numbers for this summer are proof that our [marketing] efforts are yielding results.”
Each individual destination registered a record-breaking increase in inbound tourism. Acapulco recorded a 15.7% tourism increase, and hotel occupancy climbed to 73.6%, representing a 6.8% rise in that category.
Numbers for Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo increased by 16.4%, and occupancy averaged 68.2%, also greater than last year’s. Taxco welcomed 115,063 visitors, higher than the numbers for last summer.
Tourist spending in Guerrero in August was up 36.9%, the highest jump in the past five years.
Although the largest percentage of visitors to the state of Guerrero remains domestic, U.S. and Canadian travelers are proving to be an important market.
Acapulco, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and Taxco have been excluded from warnings on the U.S. State Department’s Travel Advisory on Mexico since 2012 (the most recent State Department advisory on Aug. 19 advised Acapulco travelers to stay within the city’s Hotel Zone).
In response to the increase in visitors, occupancy and tourist spending, the destinations are gearing up to receive more visitors.
Acapulco is spearheading the travel revival with a $15 million investment to revamp several of the city’s iconic tourist sites. The destination is also bolstered by the recent opening of the Mundo Imperial Resort, the construction of a new Fiesta Americana Grand in the Diamante Zone and the 2015 debut of the new terminal at the Juan Alvarez Airport, with a capacity to handle 1 million visitors per year.