Tourists Take Advantage of Opening of Maz-Durango Highway

by Maureen Dietrich on 22 Oct 13 

mazmessenger.com

The first weekend following the opening of the highway saw an increase of 10 percent in hotel occupation.

Barely a week after Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto inaugurated the Mazatlán-Durango super highway, hotels in Mazatlán are seeing the benefits of the reduced travel time from interior Mexican states to Mazatlán’s beaches.

President of the Tres Islas Hotel Association, José Ramón Manguart Sánchez, said yesterday that the first weekend following the opening of the highway saw an increase of 10 percent in hotel occupation to 60 percent, and up to 80 percent in some hospitality centers.

In general, he said, the numbers are very good for October.

As predicted by the association following a market study this summer, most tourists came from Durango, Nuevo León and Coahuila and the association expects a further 10 percent increase during 2014.

Miguel Hernández Fonesca, President of the Canaco-Servytur, told reporters an increase in commercial tourist activity in the port was particularly noticeable in distinctive areas, among them the Pino Suárez market, Isla de la Piedra, Centro Historico, aquarium and the Zona Dorada.

A survey conducted by the restaurant-tourism association indicated that car rental businesses and restaurants were the primary beneficiary, with sales increasing 30 percent over normal weekend sales.

Though not widely publicized, the Caminos y Puentes Federales (federal roads and bridges) had announced that the highway would be toll-free for the first few days after its inauguration.

(from Noroeste)