Los Cabos says it wants to be the "safest option" for Canadians looking to escape to the sun this winter.
The Mexican destination at the southern end of the 1,250 km Baja Peninsula has been able to fully vaccinate an impressive 85% of its population. Rodrigo Esponda, Managing Director of the Los Cabos Tourism Board, says there was very little vaccine hesitancy.
"We believe that Canadians will be looking for that kind of safety and security," said Esponda in a conversation with TravelPulse Canada. "Once the Canadian government lifts its travel advisory our Canadian numbers will increase significantly."
Esponda is referring to the global advisory that Canadians should "avoid non-essential travel outside Canada until further notice." With our domestic vaccination rate nearing that of Los Cabos, Esponda believes that advisory will be lifted soon. Canadian airlines and tour operators appear to share that view, as service is already beginning to ramp up, with lots more to come.
In 2019, Canada made up the second-largest source market for Los Cabos, after the U.S., which provides the vast majority of arrivals. More than 200,000 Canadians visited that year, but business has been slow since the start of the pandemic due to Canada's strict outbound policies.
In September, WestJet resumed service to Cabo San Lucas from Calgary, followed by Vancouver. Sunwing resumed flights from Toronto that month as well, and service from Montreal will kick off in November. Air Canada will resume flights from YVR and YYZ in October. Swoop is launching a flight program from Edmonton in late November and Toronto in December, while fledgling carrier OWG plans to offer service from Montreal to SJD starting in March 2022.
Los Cabos is often portrayed as an upscale destination, and Esponda freely admits that the "safety and quality" of the vacation experience is promoted more than the lowest possible price.
The destination features 18,000 rooms, with property size averaging about 200 rooms. About a third of the rooms are offered on an all-inclusive basis, with three-, four- and five-star options available from familiar brands including Melia, Riu and Hyatt.
"We offer a high quality product and there are plenty of options to fit within the budgets of many Canadian adults and families," Esponda said.
One hurdle for Canadian sunseekers this winter is the current requirement to return home with a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of arrival. While tests are available for as little as US$30 in Cuba, visitors to other sunspots will face prices between US$100 and US$250 per person.
Esponda says Los Cabos tourism officials have worked hard to team up with more than 20 labs to offer Canadians quick access to PCR tests. Pricing starts at $115 and ranges up to $234 per person.
"As soon as Canadians start coming, prices will start coming down," Esponda told TravelPulse Canada. "We have also connected tour operators to some of the labs so discounting will be a possibility."
It's also possible that the PCR test requirement will be dropped before the winter season, with Canada shifting to a rapid antigen test requirement as the U.S. does. These tests are significantly cheaper and results can be obtained in as little as 15 minutes, versus an average of 24-48 hours for PCR tests.
Los Cabos is highly dependent on tourism, so sustainability is an important issue. Plastic bags and single-use plastics are banned, and there's a strong movement towards farm-to-table dining that has become a major attraction for food-loving visitors.
"Most of our resorts are working with local organic farmers, to the point where farms have specific areas set aside for growing food for individual resorts. Chefs work with farmers to plan crops, and vary menus with the seasonality of harvest. And many chefs also only use fish and seafood from sustainable sources," Esponda said.
These are key reasons why gastronomy is one of the key attractions for Los Cabos, along with whale-watching, other water sports and golf.
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