Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico – Puerto Vallarta remains a favorite of Canadian tourists, who are eager to vacation on the warm Mexican beaches, particularly in this destination that is one of their favorites in the country.
The increase in demand and the lifting of restrictive measures imposed by the Canadian government have allowed the gradual reopening of flights between Canada and Mexico, particularly to Puerto Vallarta, one of the country’s most popular destinations – especially during the winter.
On June 5, WestJet reopened their Saturday connection between Calgary and Puerto Vallarta; Air Canada recently announced the reopening of the Vancouver – Puerto Vallarta route starting August 1; Air Transat has plans to resume flights from Toronto and Montreal starting in November and Sunwing and Swoop airlines are expected to announce their plans to resume flights soon.
In the context of the announcement of air reconnections between the two countries, Expedia released data that indicates that there will be a rebound in the number of Canadian visitors during the summer vacation period. Though typically a winter address for Canadians, Puerto Vallarta ranks in the top five most sought summer vacation due to the destination’s weather, natural attractions and wide variety of activities.
As vaccination against Covid-19 progresses in Mexico, Canadian tourists have regained confidence in traveling, and the application of preventive protocols in Puerto Vallarta hotels, restaurants and tours to ensure tourists’ health, adds to the destination’s allure.
According to the Datatur system of the federal Ministry of Tourism, Canada is the second most important foreign market for this destination, after the United States. Every year, thousands of Canadians travel to the Banderas Bay region from cities such as Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Toronto and Edmonton.
Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico (GAP) reports that last January, before the restrictions on flights from Canada to Mexico and the Caribbean, up to 60 monthly frequencies from that country arrived, with a high number of frequencies from Thursday to Saturday and occupancy percentages higher than 80 percent.
The share of the Canadian market in Mexico’s international total went from 10.8 percent in 2019 to 10.2 percent in 2020. This year, Puerto Vallarta seeks to reposition itself as the airport with the largest number of cities directly connecting the two countries. Prior to the pandemic, there were connections from 16 cities in Canada.
Puerto Vallarta Tourism Trust press release translated and edited by Luis Antonio for BanderasNews.com.
