Acapulco recently experienced a much-needed spike in hotel occupancy levels following several events that took place in the destination last month. Following the Mexican Tennis Open (Abierto Mexicano de Tenis), the 2011 Real Cliff Diving Championship and the Carrera del Golfo al Pacifico, a four-day car rally race at the end of February, Acapulco hotel occupancy levels rose to almost 80 percent.
This upward trend continued during Tianguis Turistico 2011, held March 25-28. The annual tourism event is a dependable cornerstone of Acapulco’s spring tourism. While many other destinations in Mexico have tried to wrestle Tianguis away from Acapulco, somehow, the longtime resort town managed to hold on to the event over a span of 36 years.
During Tianguis, a local campaign was inaugurated in Acapulco entitled, “Habla Bien de Aca” (speak well of Acapulco). The campaign, which was started by local nightclub and restaurant owners, encourages tourism workers within the destination to speak positively about Acapulco to visitors as a way to combat the negative news about drug cartel violence taking place on the edges of the city. The campaign’s presence was felt strongly at Tianguis, with signs around town and in the convention center, and with workers wearing T-shirts and bracelets communicating the positive slogan.
One of the iconic attractions of Acapulco has reinvented itself; the clavadistas (cliff divers) of La Quebrada recently introduced a new, multimedia component to the celebrated show that has been attracting crowds since the 1930s. Undergoing a technological makeover, the cliff diving show at La Quebrada now features light and sound elements. The new attraction consists of high-tech laser lights in conjunction with a 12-minute video (in both English and Spanish), giving the audience background information on the history of the diving tradition, as well as interviews with some of the divers themselves. Any visitor to Acapulco should try to make time to see the divers at La Quebrada. The iconic clavadistas of La Quebrada have drawn crowds daily for more than 70 years, watching as they dive from heights of 125 feet into the waters below. The shows run four times each day.
The Details
Acapulco Destination Marketing Officewww.visiteacapulco.com
