Despite the widespread devastation in Acapulco left behind by Hurricane Otis a scant two weeks ago, Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco Marques, recently confirmed via an official press release on the Government of Mexico’s website that the Tianguis Turistico, the country’s largest and most important tourism trade fair, is still on for 2024.
According to Secretary Torruco, the governments of Mexico and the State of Guerrero, together with the private sector, decided jointly to plan for the 2024 Tianguis Turistico to be held April 8-12, 2024, just one month later than the original March date. He emphasized that this 48th edition of the trade show will be possible thanks to a series of actions worth 61.3 billion pesos set into motion by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO). He added that in the coming weeks, he would be in Guerrero to take stock of the situation and continue to work with the state government and the private sector to recover the port city rapidly.
Local business leaders were heartened by the decision, as the trade fair provides a boost to the economy, jobs sector and tourism of the port during its biannual appearance in Acapulco.
“Acapulco will shine again as in the best of times, and will continue, through its talented tourism service providers and the private sector as a whole, to give domestic and foreign tourists, as well as Mexican society, great satisfaction,” said Torruco Marques in the press statement.
30+ Acapulco Hotels Predicted to Re-Open in First Quarter
An AP report stated that AMLO is looking to hotel owners to reopen as many as 35 of the resort’s 377 hotels by March or April and is adding 38 new barracks to the port for a quasi-military National Guard to keep the peace. However, his government has declined to consider government loans or grants to the hotels, saying instead it would pay half the interest on reconstruction loans from private banks, leaving many hotel owners in a precarious situation due to a lack of cash flow.
Hurricane Otis made landfall around midnight on Oct. 25, laying waste to communities in and around Acapulco to the tune of some $10 billion in losses. According to a weather station near the city, the winds reached gusts of up to 205 mph, one of the highest ever observed in the world. The Category 5 storm, which intensified with alarming speed over the course of just 24 hours, has claimed over 45 lives so far, with dozens still missing.
