Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Approximately 10 percent of Riviera Maya hotels will reopen June 1, as long as the state is reactivated on time, says the Riviera Maya Hotel Association president.
Conrad Bergwerf, president of the Riviera Maya Hotel Association, says that as long as the state opens as expected, 10 percent of its hotels will open their doors from that date with more joining as they generate tourism.
The announcement came from Bergwerf and the association’s director Manuel Paredes during a press meet to discuss the present and future of the sector. Bergwerf said they expect to be certain of the reopening date no later than the 15th of this month, with about 10 percent of their affiliates already signed up to open on June 1, and the balance saying they will open as demand is generated.
The hotel leader explained that in addition to the health pandemic, there are other factors such as the electoral year in the United States and his trade war with China, which also impact the economy and the tourism sector, however, by the end of the year, the situation will have to be relatively stabilized.
Currently, there are five hotels still in operation due to hosting stranded travelers or providing accommodations for those considered an essential service, however, the hotel occupancy rate is barely at 4 percent.
He reported that on June 1, approximately 15 hotels will reopen their doors with an estimated increase toward December, when Bergwerf says, hotels could reach 100 percent in terms of operations. “If we reach 30 percent annual occupancy, it will be a good number,” he added.
Riviera Maya Hotel Association Treasurer Néstor Ospina admitted that most of their 140 hotels will need financial support to open. In fact, they considered that the recovery will take 18 to 24 months, however, Bergwerf stressed that to date, no affiliated hotel has notified them that they are bankrupt or can no longer reopen noting “everyone is waiting for better times.”