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Los Cabos is fast becoming the go-to destination of choice for some of the world’s top sporting events, which is attracting thousands of enthusiastic sports fans to the region.
Sporting events in Los Cabos have begun to be an important economic income for the area. The Los Cabos Hotel Association recently said that the recent Los Cabos Tennis Open 250 brought in more than 100 million pesos and was attended by over 25,000 fans.
During the period that the Tennis Open occurred, an economic increase of around 5% was recorded. According to the tourism board, this is because certain sporting events often attract specific types of tourists who have higher spending power.
According to Lilzi Orcí Fregoso, the head of the Association, this event alone attracted more than 75 media outlets from across the world, with a reach of around 150 million viewers. This media highlighted not just the event but the beauty of Los Cabos as a destination.
She commented that, “These types of events greatly benefit Los Cabos as they have huge international and national media coverage. This attracts tourists from around the world who want to come and explore Los Cabos”.
Hotel occupancy during the Tennis Open also increased by roughly 5%, due to the attendees, players and staff.
The Hotel Association also explained that often sporting events are hosted in the low season in Los Cabos, which helps hotels offer special rates to visitors and players during their stay. This often balances out any loss of earning the region may face in the low season.
Los Cabos is already working on hosting further events, with confirmed world-famous competitions such as the Astri Triathlon, the Tour de France, Norceca, Baja Mil and the Iron Man already being hosted there, or with Los Cabos as their central leading city.
Sports tourism is a relatively new niche which Los Cabos is keen to explore and as a result the authorities are working on improving facilities needed for such large events/
In the Don Koll Stadium in Cabo San Lucas, the government has said it will be carrying out official renovations costing upwards of $20 million, which has been invested by the Los Cabos United soccer team.
The stadium will not only have new changing rooms, stands and private boxes but also state-of-the-art synthetic grass sponsored by the Mexican Soccer Foundation. The stadium will be used for both local leagues and for the professional team, so that more people, both locals and tourists can enjoy matches here.
Los Cabos is keen to develop its tourism reach in many different areas, as tourism numbers are expected to top 7 million this year.
Cultural events are already frequent both locally and internationally, with the upcoming Los Cabos Film Festival in November expected to attract a wealth of famous faces.
The region has worked quickly to establish itself as the best tourist destination of 2022, and with the frequent celebrity visits, has said it wants to move away from mass tourism and focus on luxury tourism.
This goal is already being achieved through the high number of luxury hotels and vacation rentals in Los Cabos, as well as it being the most expensive Mexican destination for a holiday.
Many celebrities who visit Los Cabos can spend upwards of $2000 per night on rental properties or may even own a second home in the area. Celebrities have given Los Cabos the allure of being an attractive and exclusive destination, not just for tourists but to host international events.
Despite Los Cabos wanting to swap mass tourism for luxury, it appears that high tourist numbers are not going anywhere, with over one million Americans having booked winter vacations in the area and more than 700 cruises expected before the end of 2023.