Los Cabos has taken a proactive stance on the coronavirus, implementing containment measures through all sectors of its tourism industry, said Rodrigo Esponda, managing director of the Los Cabos Tourism Board. "Our No. 1 priority is to keep the community and visitors safe."
Several weeks ago, screening procedures were implemented at the San José International Airport, including containment measures for travelers with high temperatures or other symptoms of the virus. Arriving passengers are required to fill out a questionnaire, which, among others things, asks them to divulge where they have traveled in the past 14 days.
Currently, there are 40 flights to Los Cabos from the U.S. and Canada, Esponda said.
The Ministry of Health of Baja California Sur has put into place a protocol with the hotel and timeshare association, business chamber of commerce and destination management companies to assess and report potential risks or cases.
"We've also implemented cleaning protocols [at restaurants and hotels]," Esponda said. "Restaurants are limiting the number of guests and are putting more distance between tables."
Although visitors numbers have dropped dramatically in the aftermath of the U.S. government's restrictions on non-essential travel across the U.S.-Mexican border, "there has been a commitment from the private sector to keep hotels open," Esponda said, adding that virtually the entire Los Cabos population is reliant on the tourism industry, and that the destination is committed to keeping people employed. "Our most important asset is our people."
Meanwhile, travelers are, in fact, still traveling to Los Cabos, albeit in much smaller numbers. "We have a different dynamic than other destinations," Esponda said. "There are many Americans who own homes in the destination [and] arrive by private plane" and also stay in hotels.
In other developments, the Los Cabos Tourism Board has created an information campaign for its tourism partners, including consortia, travel advisors and tour operators, to keep them abreast of the latest developments regarding the destination.
An online toolkit designed provides Los Cabos' partners with information and advice at industry.visitloscabos.travel/coronavirus. It is updated daily, with real-time reports.
The tourism board has also assembled a team of experts who are able to communicate the latest information on the coronavirus and how it relates to Los Cabos. For more information, email c[email protected].
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