The National Tourism Promotion Fund (Fonatur) will spend just over 1.1 billion pesos (US $58.9 million) this year on maintenance at eight tourism destinations.

The Pacific coast resort cities of Ixtapa, Guerrero, and Huatulco, Oaxaca, will receive almost half that amount, according to a Fonatur report.

Just over 510.9 million pesos will be used to carry out roadwork, upgrade drainage and sewage systems, improve street lighting and clean up public spaces. The funds will also be used to build wastewater treatment plants in the two cities, improve irrigation networks and maintain street furniture, among other projects.

Fonatur said that 46% of its 2020 maintenance budget was going to Ixtapa and Huatulco because infrastructure is run-down in both cities, making them less attractive than other tourism destinations.

The other 54% of maintenance financing will be allocated to the Baja California Sur resort cities of Los Cabos and Loreto, Nayarit, Marina Cozumel and Cancún in Quintana Roo, and Playa Espíritu, a beach town on the southern Sinaloa coast where a new tourism project is being developed.

All eight destinations were developed by Fonatur as planned tourism projects, and the federal agency retains responsibility for their upkeep.

The two Quintana Roo destinations will get just under 254.5 million pesos to upgrade deteriorating infrastructure, while those in Baja California Sur will share 258 million pesos.

The remaining 83.7 million pesos will go to Nayarit and Playa Espíritu. Funding for the latter destination will be used to install new electricity infrastructure and build pumping stations, water canals and beach access paths.

The projects at the eight destinations will ensure that they have infrastructure in good working condition, Fonatur said, adding that tourists and residents alike will benefit from improved services.

Airports at the seven of the eight destinations saw combined passenger arrivals in excess of 33.4 million last year.

Almost 25.5 million passengers flew into Cancún in 2019, a 1.1% increase over 2018 numbers, while arrivals at the Los Cabos International Airport rose 6.9% to 5.6 million.

Airports in Loreto, Tepic, Ixtapa and Huatulco all received more passengers last year than in 2018 but arrivals declined 5.7% to just over half a million in Cozumel.

However, it wasn’t all bad news for tourism on the Caribbean sea island located off the coast of Playa del Carmen: cruise ship passengers increased 18% in 2019 to an all-time record of 1,461,778.

Source: Milenio (sp)