Ensenada is looking forward to a big summer for tourism according to the head of the Baja California tour operators association (AatopBC). Gilberto Gamiño Herrera predicts this year’s tourism numbers are set to exceed those of pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
The state’s wine trail, beautiful beaches, nature adventures throughout the state, and gourmet dining draw tourists from across the country, but particularly northern Mexico and U.S. residents along the west coast. This summer, the added pull of several massive concerts and events will bring even more visitors, Herrera believes.
Among the upcoming events is the Baja Beach Fest, which will take place three weekends in August and bring big-name reggaeton stars Anuel, Yandel and Daddy Yankee to the peninsula, the Fiestas de la Vendimia in the Valle de Guadalupe celebrating the harvest season of the region’s vineyards and the Baja Blues Fest in Rosarito.
In response to problems recently experienced by ticket holders to receive reimbursement for a concert in Mexicali that was canceled at the last minute, Herrera insisted that the companies putting on this summer’s events are professionals.
“Of course we can’t help it if there is a last minute cancellation, but we can guarantee that ticket holders will be reimbursed. At AatopBC we don’t work with shady operations, these are serious businesses with roots in Baja California.”
Baja California has long been one of Mexico’s most popular tourism destinations and this year, Herrera says, many tour companies are already having to turn customers away because they are sold out for June and July. He has high hopes for beach travel and travel to the state’s wine region in the Valle de Guadalupe, but added that COVID protocols will still be in place to protect both tourists and tour operators.
“It’s very important due to the rise in COVID cases that we continue to apply hygiene protocols, the same as is being done in restaurants, hotels, and vineyards. We will continue to take care of each other.”
With reports from El Imparcial
