Everything in store for Los Cabos in 2026

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Rodrigo Esponda Cascajares is simply a tireless promoter of Los Cabos tourism, and a large crushed the destination has seen specified singular maturation implicit the past decade. When I past caught up with the managing manager of FITURCA (the Los Cabos Tourism Board) successful aboriginal November, helium was astatine the World Travel Market successful London, a three-day gathering that brought unneurotic implicit 46,500 attendees from 182 countries.

Esponda, the lone typical from a Mexican destination successful attendance, was trying to rise Los Cabos’ illustration successful the British marketplace — the root of lone a small implicit 5,000 tourists annually — and to fortify aboriginal connectivity successful Europe, a taxable addressed successful conversations with continental hose companies.

But contempt his engaged schedule, helium inactive had clip to link via a Microsoft Teams gathering telephone and sermon what’s adjacent for Los Cabos successful 2026.

Is your strategy successful 2025 akin to the 1 for 2026?

Well, it’s been a precise absorbing twelvemonth successful 2025, due to the fact that we’ve been increasing a little. We judge we volition extremity the twelvemonth with immoderate maturation compared to past year, astir apt 2.5% overall, which is precise bully fixed the discourse successful which the tourism manufacture is moving forward.

Especially since we’ve been focused connected quality, not quantity. That’s thing we’ve discussed before. So, successful that sense, having travelers enactment longer and walk much astatine the destination is much important than having a batch much passengers.

That loyalty basal makes Los Cabos unique. So we judge we request to proceed that strategy successful 2026. We person immoderate breathtaking additions successful presumption of connectivity successful the United States and different markets.

This year, we’re increasing successful immoderate cities we’ve been targeting successful the United States, similar Nashville, Tennessee, and Kansas City. These are secondary markets successful the U.S. for Los Cabos. But they’re important. It’s portion of the destination’s evolutionary nature, successful the consciousness that erstwhile we summation a coagulated knowing of the superior markets — Chicago, Los Angeles and New York — past we person to adhd much secondary markets.

Nashville, Tennessee, is 1 of them. Ontario, California, is another, which, though adjacent to Los Angeles, is simply a secondary marketplace that tin adhd immoderate further travelers to our destination. Indianapolis is different marketplace that’s perpetually growing.

And arsenic you know, we’ve conscionable started our 2nd play of nonstop work to Frankfurt with Condor. And successful December, we’ll person Copa Airlines’ formation from Panama with connections to Central and South America. So these markets are an important complement to the premix of travelers arriving astatine the destination.

And that absorption connected connectivity volition proceed successful 2026?

We judge that volition continue. We person immoderate markets successful the United States that we volition proceed to absorption on, specified arsenic Boston, which is an affluent marketplace successful the Northeast, but it’s a agelong travel with a six-hour flight. So it’s been a process getting airlines to perpetrate to that, but we judge that by the extremity of 2026, we’ll beryllium capable to person that way added.

And we request to consolidate those 2 important milestones we person with the Copa and Condor flights successful the 3rd season, arsenic the European marketplace is precise good advanced. So we cognize that, for example, immoderate groups are looking astatine the adjacent play of Condor flights from Europe. So we’ve been moving connected it.

And we had a mates of absorbing conversations with circuit operators astir that. Our precedence for this twelvemonth is to finalize things, to marque definite that everyone successful the section manufacture is alert of the relevance and focuses much connected prime and consistency. That, well, you grew a little, but you achieved a batch due to the fact that you didn’t person to discard a product, you didn’t person to bash thing wrong, and you tin diversify.

And so, for adjacent year, we judge it volition beryllium the same, that successful 2026 we volition astir apt adjacent with a small implicit 3% maturation successful planetary visitors. And it’s the same, with immoderate absorbing additions successful presumption of hotels, successful presumption of the destination, but we request to beryllium much acrophobic with the visitant experience, alternatively than conscionable seeking growth, due to the fact that the quality of the destination isn’t wide tourism.

Last year, Los Cabos topped 4 cardinal visitors, correct?

We closed past twelvemonth with 3.7 cardinal visitors. Of those, 2.3 cardinal were planetary visitors, and the remainder were home visitors. However, of those home visitors, 25% were planetary visitors connecting done Mexico.

We’ll adjacent with a precise akin fig this year. Last twelvemonth it was 3.7 million, truthful this twelvemonth we’ll astir apt get to 3.8 million.

You mentioned Boston. Are determination different areas successful the U.S. oregon Canada wherever you consciousness you could amended oregon are trying to summation connectivity?

Well, successful Canada, we’re increasing by 20% this year. But past twelvemonth we had 200,000 Canadian travelers. So 40,000, that’s the further fig we’ll person this twelvemonth successful presumption of Canada. It’s significant, but it doesn’t marque up 10% of the 2.3 cardinal (international visitors). So those further 40,000 retired of the 2.3 cardinal are portion of that premix we have.

We’ve been increasing successful Canada from Toronto, not Vancouver, which is the earthy market, but Toronto, which is the astir affluent marketplace successful Canada. And we’re trying to get a formation from Florida. We person a bully fig of travelers coming straight from assorted Florida cities: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa.

Orlando is absorbing due to the fact that determination would beryllium immoderate travelers from Los Cabos who would privation to spell to Orlando for Disneyland, the parks and the entertainment.

So it wouldn’t conscionable beryllium travelers from Florida, but besides immoderate travelers from Los Cabos and La Paz who wanted to spell to Orlando. So we’re trying to marque it happen. However, we don’t person a precise wide way guardant with the airlines arsenic to whether it volition hap successful 2026.

We bash successful Boston. They notation that they expect to person that nonstop formation by wintertime 2026. But that’s a cardinal marketplace for america that we’re looking to secure.

Can you archer maine a small spot astir the resorts and play courses that mightiness beryllium opening adjacent twelvemonth and beyond?

This Nov. 16 is the opening of the Park Hyatt. So that volition hap this year. And then, successful 2026, we person three caller resorts that are opening: Amanvari, St. Regis and Soho House. We’ve been gathering with the teams from each 3 brands. Amanvari is precise excited and already has a GM, a income director, and, arsenic you know, they’re doing a batch of work. St Regis, the same. Soho House volition astir apt beryllium aboriginal successful 2026.

And then, successful 2027, we person the SIRO Palmilla, which is portion of Kerzner International. There are besides 2 projects connected the Pacific coast. One is connected to a play resort, which is the Conrad Los Cabos astatine the Oleada resort. It’s astir 10 minutes from Diamante towards Todos Santos. That’s wherever it’s being developed. I visited it the different day.

The residential task is further along, but the play people is inactive successful development. There are three play courses coming successful summation to the 1 successful Oleada. There’s different 1 successful Quivira. That would beryllium an absorbing task due to the fact that it would complement what they already have.

There’s besides different 1 coming astatine Diamante, which is simply a Tiger Woods people (Legacy Club). Those 3 are already nether construction. We don’t cognize if it volition beryllium successful 2026 oregon much towards 2027, but the information that we person 3 play courses truthful acold on is precise good, and arsenic you know, we’re besides hosting the World Wide Technology Championship, the lone PGA Tour lawsuit successful Los Cabos.

It each started today. Michael Phelps (the Olympic swimmer who won a grounds 23 golden medals) played successful the Pro-Am yesterday, and everyone was precise blessed to beryllium there. He (Phelps) has a location astatine Diamante.

I should besides notation determination are 2 properties, from Raffles and Delano, successful improvement connected the East Cape. The Delano was the astir caller edifice to beryllium announced. It volition astir apt beryllium a semipermanent development, similar the Aman, for example, which has been nether operation for six years.

What are you trying to amended for adjacent year?

A large interest we person is grooming successful presumption of the hospitality standards we request to offer.

We person a concern with a circuit usher specializing successful prime and work standards. We conscionable completed a afloat week of grooming with them connected these standards, and I judge it is important that we support and negociate this level of service. To execute this, we request to guarantee we’re covering assorted areas.

We request to marque definite radical recognize the value of service, and that connection of rima remains the fig 1 constituent for travelers visiting Los Cabos. Let’s enactment it successful the discourse that everything we bash successful selling is astir reaching antithetic markets, gathering with colleagues, explaining the destination, doing activations, and each that, and recommending the destination to them. I deliberation that’s incredibly powerful.

The astir important happening is however to guarantee that erstwhile travelers permission the destination, they are wholly satisfied.

Is the edifice taxation that funds FITURCA besides helping to wage for infrastructure projects similar the downtown renovation successful Cabo San Lucas? How does this work?

Of that 4% edifice tax, which funds FITURCA, 1% is earmarked for the Urban Infrastructure Trust (FOIS), which amounts to astir 275 cardinal pesos this year. This is straight related to the fig of tourists visiting the destination.

And that’s a precise beardown point. Let’s accidental we bring successful much tourists, and those tourists are staying successful hotels oregon Airbnbs. So, that edifice taxation is added to the infrastructure fund. And that’s a precise bully constituent due to the fact that idiosyncratic mightiness say, “Oh, wherefore not usage FITURCA’s financing to wage for roads oregon physique immoderate infrastructure projects?” And we’re already contributing straight to infrastructure projects.

So that 1% is connected due to the fact that the much tourists we bring, the much backing they (the section government) have, but we don’t enactment successful that decision-making process. We lone lend to the activities truthful they person much funding, which is good, but we don’t cognize the process for however they code infrastructure needs oregon however they would straight usage those 275 cardinal pesos.

Is determination thing other you’d similar to adhd for our readers’ benefit?

Yes, I person 1 last point, which we discussed past time, and that is that tourism is genuinely providing a precise affirmative root of income and improving conditions for the assemblage successful Los Cabos. And I deliberation we request to marque definite everyone understands the value of that and that we’re not conscionable looking to bring tourists; we’re looking to bring the close tourists to the destination.

Chris Sands is the erstwhile Cabo San Lucas section adept for the USA Today question website 10 Best and writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos question guidebook. He’s besides a contributor to galore websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily.

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