For years, Los Cabos has benefited from its reputation as one of Mexico’s top luxury destinations. Now, even as new luxury hotel developments continue to make headlines, tourism officials are following a “value over volume” strategy, aiming to attract travelers who will stay longer, spend more and experience more of the destination’s varied offerings.
“We prefer quality more than quantity,” said Rodrigo Esponda, managing director of the Los Cabos Tourism Board.
Esponda, who in 2026 is celebrating 10 years in his current position, has witnessed — and helped steer — the destination’s evolution. He credits the destination’s success to three key factors: its strong positioning within the luxury segment, its ongoing ability to attract investment and its efforts to involve the local community in the tourism sector.
“Now, the destination needs to keep evolving toward this positioning,” Esponda told TravelAge West, noting that his organization has specific infrastructure and development goals to keep it on the right track.
Quality Over Quantity
The fact that annual visitor numbers have remained relatively flat for approximately four years aligns with the tourism board’s goals of attracting higher-value travelers, according to Esponda.
“What we have been achieving is that visitors stay longer and they spend more,” he said. “That's an achievement.”
The organization’s strategy follows a development model that Esponda describes as “low density and high value” — a 5,000-room hotel for example, just wouldn’t fit into the destination’s hospitality scene, he says.
“That would completely break the model of what we have,” he added.
Instead, Esponda says the tourism board favors growth and investment that fosters its goals of acquiring a traveler who is looking to value the culture, the nature and the community — someone who understands that the destination has a common goal.
The hospitality scene plays a big role in Los Cabos’ growth.
2026 Los Cabos Tourism BoardLos Cabos’ high-value growth has long been evident in the hospitality scene, Esponda notes.
“When I started at the tourism board, we had four Virtuoso hotels,” he said. “Today, we have 16.”
In addition, Los Cabos now has 19 golf courses and 22 Michelin-rated restaurants, and it continues to attract investment in new properties and other upscale developments.
One of the newest resources detailing the destination’s culinary allure is a digital guide showcasing all 22 Michelin-rated restaurants. New digital birdwatching and marine safari guides are also being integrated into offerings that Esponda says advisors can use to entice clients to book.
Los Cabos Beyond the Corridor
One of Esponda’s additional goals is to spread the word that Los Cabos is much more than just the ever-popular hotel corridor that links the towns of San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas.
To expand that awareness, he says, the destination needs to develop product and experiences that encompass and integrate the whole area. He notes the growing appeal of activities including hiking, farm-to-table dining, marine safaris and visits to small towns and unspoiled coastline.
“Los Cabos is much more than beaches,” he added. “We need to have many other things besides the beaches.”
Years of product development have already diversified the destination’s offerings, according to Esponda. The tourism board, for example, has worked with ranchers, farmers and other small suppliers in communities such as Miraflores and Santiago, to create a rural experiences guide with 62 participating suppliers. Birdwatching trails, meanwhile, showcase several endemic species in the region’s highlands, while marine safaris highlight experiences along the Sea of Cortez and Pacific Ocean.
Esponda praises the continued diversification beyond the traditional tourism zones. As an example, he mentions a small hotel near Santiago, as well as glamping in the Sierra de la Laguna mountains, both of which provide interesting options for travelers looking to combine luxury stays at larger hotels with unique, nature-oriented accommodations in the countryside.
“That is the future of what the destination needs,” he said, noting the importance of integrating culture and nature into the overall tourism product while attracting vacationers interested in high-quality, diverse experiences.
The goal, he stresses, is not in volume, and not in trying to get more travelers but, rather, trying to draw the right travelers.
The Airlift Issue
When Esponda first joined the tourism board a decade ago, only 16 U.S. cities were linked to Los Cabos by nonstop service. Today, that number has jumped to a total of 33, with Washington, D.C., becoming the 34th when United Airlines launches four weekly flights from Washington Dulles International Airport in late October.
Still, while sufficient airlift is crucial for any destination’s tourism industry, Esponda says his goals are tightly focused and driven by data — and his wording ties in handily with his stated desire for the “right” travelers.
As travelers look to activities beyond the beaches, the destination is continuing to diversify its experiences.
2026 Los Cabos Tourism Board“We don't want more connectivity,” he said. “We want the right connectivity.”
To that end, the tourism board uses IATA and OAG data to analyze demand, capacity, aircraft, load factors and yield before approaching carriers.
The Importance of Advisors
Travel agents play a key role in the destination’s success, according to Esponda, who notes that 30% of travelers who come to Los Cabos come through an advisor. To better enable the travel agency community to sell the destination, the tourism board is enhancing its Los Cabos Specialist Program with incentives, destination guides and an AI-powered chatbot designed to produce tailored recommendations for specific clients.
An advisor could, for example, ask the chatbot to help identify family-friendly lodging in San Jose del Cabo, as well as transportation companies, cooking classes and other activities.
“The more information you provide to the travel advisor, and the more you connect them to outside experiences, the better job they can do,” Esponda says.
A Responsible Future
Esponda describes a long-term approach to development based on sustainability and responsible tourism — preserving local culture and natural resources while also creating a welcoming environment for visitors.
“The way that we understand sustainability is that it’s not a goal; it’s not a point that you get to,” Esponda said. “It's a road.”
The tourism board’s work with Cabo Pulmo, a protected marine national park, exemplifies the importance of sustainability in the destination. A collaboration with the local community resulted in the Cabo Pulmo Responsible Tourist Guide, and the organization is now pursuing Green Globe certification and partnerships with NGOs.
Los Cabos’ tourism infrastructure is also slated to evolve, most notably in the form of a long-term airport expansion plan over the next five to 10 years. Development is also expected to produce additional immersive experiences in areas beyond the coast, while new projects are in the works on the Pacific coast.
For all the forward-thinking plans for Los Cabos, Esponda also emphasizes the need to look backward — all the way to the region’s pre-Hispanic past and the history of its Pericu people, whose ancient cave drawings are among the destination’s lesser-known sites.
“I think it's something that needs to change,” he said, noting the potential interest once awareness grows. “We need to do a cultural recovery of what the area has.”
