El Economista – Mexico City
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The facilities of some United States governments to vaccinate foreigners against covid-19 have driven the reactivation of the tourism sector. The president of the Mexican Association of Travel Agencies (Amav), Eduardo Paniagua, estimated that in the last two months the sale of airline tickets has increased to 70%, compared to the same period of 2020.
“There are a large number of travel agencies that live from ticket sales, especially in northern Mexico and Durango is a clear example because there are many migrants who travel frequently.. We are seeing a growing number of people from Chihuahua, Nuevo León, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Mexico City or Durango itself who are going to be vaccinated in Texas, Arizona or Miami and several of them take the opportunity to stay a few days and relax. In some cases they will have to return for the second dose, “he said in an interview.
As a first piece of information about this unusual movement, the Centro Norte Airport Group (OMA) reported that last month the Monterrey terminal, the busiest terminal among the 13 that it operates, registered 78,943 international passengers, which meant an increase of 37.6 % compared to the same month last year. In addition to local travelers, this airport is a connection point between Mexico City and Texas.
To generate benefit from the situation, beyond the sale of tickets, there are agencies that offer greater options. For example, Tiquet Travel, a partner of Amav, offers the Vaccinate in Texas package from 20,000 pesos, which includes the Aguascalientes-Dallas-Aguascalientes flight with American Airlines, three nights of accommodation at a Hampton hotel (with breakfast included) and transfers airport-hotel-airport.
“There are options for people to travel. In our case as an association we offer the assurance that people will always have support when they need it because in the last year we have dedicated ourselves to providing more training to offer a better service when all trips are activated again. We suggest that they approach the formal businesses that exist in the country, ”added Paniagua.
Las Vegas, another attraction
For the president of the Association for Culture and Tourism in Latin America (Current), Armando Bojórquez, the fact that there is better climate in several US cities is an additional incentive.
“We are seeing that the moment is being used to take the long-awaited vacations and that is why Las Vegas (the state of Nevada is on the list where there are no restrictions for the vaccine) is living a good moment for those who are able to travel. Other countries are expected to explore this alternative, such as Cuba, and benefit from vaccine tourism, ”said the businessman. Alabama, California, Colorado, Iowa and Tennessee are also among the entities with no restrictions on getting vaccinated.
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