Los Cabos Breaks All Previous Tourism Records As Destination Soars in Popularity

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Last Updated 9 months ago

Four million. That’s the record-breaking number of travelers that have visited the Los Cabos area by air through November 2023.

That number reflects a nearly ten percent increase over the visitors flying to Baja California Sur in the same period one year ago.

In fact, the head of the Ministry of Tourism and Tourism Economy (SETUE), Maribel Collins, likes to make sure that every passenger in the region gets counted and celebrated. So, she clarified that the proper number is 4,080,800 air passengers in Baja California Sur.

Strong Year for Los Cabos

Los Cabos solidified its spot as the third most popular international tourist destination in the country in 2023. It was a mix of different factors that really added to the popularity of the beach resort destination around the world.

In a recent news article reflecting on the past year, Collins said “The year 2023 was exceptional for tourism and Baja California Sur. We achieved important milestones, such as the naming of Santa Rosalía as a magic town, the opening of new air routes, the holding of high-level sporting and cultural events, and our participation in global tourism promotion forums.”

Even the end of the year ended strong, with Los Cabos achieving an occupancy level near 90 percent to close the year. Even the state capital, La Paz, was able to have 60 percent of all of its resort hotel rooms full during the peak winter holiday travel season.

Looking Ahead to This Year

The popularity of Los Cabos and surrounding towns with international air travelers is not expected to decline this year.

The Los Cabos Tourism Trust plans to continue the focus on the three traveler themes that were popular with travelers last year – wellness, nature, and sustainability.

The focus on luxury travelers has also created a new market segment for Los Cabos, which has typically been seen as a cheap spring break travel spot.

The addition of high-end resort hotel rooms, golf courses, spa services and exclusive amenities has attracted a higher income visitor with plenty of disposable income to spend.

La Paz International Airport

However, the key development currently in the planning stages that will significantly increase the number of international air travelers to Baja California Sur will be the “reopening” of an international airport.

The La Paz International Airport has been international in name only for the past 18 years since the bankruptcy of Aero California in 2006.

There is an effort underway to make the La Paz airport an international destination again. Towards the end of the year, airport officials announced they were working with Volaris to bring a new nonstop flight to La Paz from the Los Angeles International Airport.

This first flight, and the potential for many more, opens up a second “international” airport in the Los Cabos region and could considerably increase the number of international air travelers to the area this year.

However, there are a number of issues that are currently holding up the launch of the new flight, which hopefully should be resolved soon.

Tips For Travelers

Visitors to Los Cabos and surrounding cities should only expect the beach resort destination to get more popular with international travelers in the upcoming year.

While this could lead to more great amenities to enjoy on a vacation getaway, it also would lead to higher room rates without additional hotel rooms added to the supply.

With an increase in tourist demand without a significant increase in hotel room supply, the average room rate will increase in price until travelers choose a different location or more hotel rooms are built.

Because of this, visitors to Baja California Sur, especially during peak holiday travel seasons, should book their reservations well in advance to get the best resort hotel room rates and location options.