The first half of the Easter vacation is over, but Puerto Escondido tourist businesses are already reporting a successful holiday and high occupancy rates.
The Puerto Escondido chapter of the Mexican Association of Hotels and Motels said occupancy from April 3 to 9 was 71%.
For April 10 to 16, association chairwoman Lizeth Rojas saId the occupancy rate, based on bookings, currently stands at roughly 60%,which is expected to increase.
She added that Puerto Escondido should benefit from tourist spending of 158 million pesos (US $7.05 million) once the Holy Week vacation is over.
Rojas explained that religious tourism comprises a great part of the boon experienced during Easter in Puerto, as the faithful travel from all around the country to Santa Catarina Juquila, known for the Santuario de Juquila, home of a statue of the Virgen de Juquila that has been venerated there since the 16th century.
After paying their respects, pilgrims visit the beach, with Puerto Escondido being the nearest destination, about two hours away.
This week, beaches like Punta Zicatela, Zicatela, Bahía Principal, Manzanillo, Puerto Angelito and Carrizalillo are packed with visitors, mainly from the states of México, Puebla and Mexico City.
To guarantee the safety of visitors, municipal, state and federal security forces have installed security modules at relevant tourist points around town.
State Civil Protection officer Esteban Vásquez reported that the first week of the two-week-long vacation concluded with a clean slate, informing that no major incidents had taken place on the various beaches located in the Puerto Escondido area.
With reports by NVI Noticias and El Imparcial
