From the Publisher's Desk
Cautious Optimism: A few thoughts
It seems to us that there is renewed organization and energy in the Mazatlán business community. In fact, we appear to be experiencing a building boom. New resort condominiums are either in progress or in the planning stage. Several new single family housing developments have sprung up throughout the city. Restoration of homes in the Centro Historico continues to grow. The facelift of the Malecón will be extended to Olas Altas. We notice, too, an increasing number of American and Canadian owned businesses opening in Mazatlán, businesses which create local long-term employment. As history has shown, however, with the upcoming November election comes a downtime while new government officials settle into their positions. Still, we remain cautiously optimistic about the direction our city is taking.
 
In an unusual counterbalance, while tourism from the US and Canada has declined significantly over the last five years, according to local tourism associations this summer was a bumper year for nationals holidaying in Mazatlán. The record numbers are attributed to heavy advertising in non-coastal areas. Traditionally, bus tour operators offer all-inclusive holiday packages to vacationing Mexicans. This year, however, the tour operators suffered while Mexican families made private arrangements. The result was unexpectedly beneficial for hotels because only 40% were all-inclusive guests, while 60% were walk-ins who paid the rack rate (the highest room rate). Now, if we could only attract as many North American winter tourists to Mazatlán, we may have something…..
 
Mazatlán´s annual pre-Lenten Carnaval is always a tourist attraction. In 2005, the Carnaval dates of Feb. 3-8 also happen to coincide with the Caribbean Cup International Baseball tournament which Mazatlán is hosting from Feb. 1-7. Teams from Puerto Rico, Mexico, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, along with their fans, will all converge on Mazatlán to watch the teams play for the coveted Cup. These two events will be a hugh boost for our tourist-based economy. The city will be bustling with tourists so if you are thinking of attending either or both of these events, we suggest you book your accommodations early.
 
Michael J. Veselik
Publisher