Sinaloa is working to open up more international and domestic air routes to its airports in Mazatlán, Culiacán and Los Mochis.

International routes linking Mazatlán to Seattle, San Francisco and Denver were on the table when Tourism Secretary Óscar Pérez Barros met with the state’s hotel association and the general manager of airport operator Grupo OMA to discuss strategies for bringing more airline travelers to the state.

Canadian airlines Swoop and Sunwing will soon add more routes to Mazatlán, connecting the Mexican coastal city to Regina, Ottawa, Victoria and Quebec.

The same strategies will be applied to the domestic market in order to focus on opening routes to Ciudad Juárez, Puebla and the Bajío region, and on increasing frequency to Monterrey and Mexico City. The strategies are expected to spark an increase in visitors to Sinaloa.

Pérez also had a meeting with the general manager of airline Magnicharters in which they initiated talks to confirm a route from Mazatlán to Ciudad Juárez-El Paso by winter, and one from Mazatlán to Chihuahua by next summer.

The secretary reiterated that the vision Governor Quirino Ordaz Coppel’s expressed at the 2019 Tianguis Turístico conference has piqued the interest of large hotel chains like Grupo Presidente, AM Resorts, Habita, Hyatt, Hilton, Radisson and Fiesta Americana Grand.

Courtyard by Marriott, One, Fiesta, City Express Plus and Avid have already confirmed plans to build more hotels in Sinaloa.

As for other sources of tourism, Mazatlán will begin to welcome 5,000-passenger Norwegian and Carnival cruise ships this season. These big-ticket cruise lines will bring high-profile passengers who are expected to spend a lot of money during their stays. Celebrity and Royal Caribbean have also confirmed that their 4,000-passenger liners will begin visiting Mazatlán in 2021.

The smaller, 500-passenger Astoria, operated by Cruise & Maritime Voyages, will begin visiting Mazatlán later this year.

Source: El Economista (sp)