At the same time, the offer of informal lodging has grown.
In the last six years, hotel occupancy in Puerto Peñasco has registered a cumulative decrease of 22%, according to data from the Convention and Visitors Bureau (OCV). From 2024 to 2025, the formal accommodation sector went from having 1.9 million to 1.6 million tourists.
The economic spillover also reflected a contraction of close to 10%, falling from around 2,500 million pesos to just over 2,250 million.
In addition to the flow of visitors, the percentage of average annual hotel occupancy dropped from 31% in 2024 to 26% in 2025, a reduction of five percentage points that confirms the lower use of formal room inventory during the year.
Lizette Ibarra, director of the OCV of Puerto Peñasco, attributes this decrease to several factors, one of which is the lack of specific and constant tourism promotion.
“We are going to work very hard with the promotion to be able to increase tourism in Puerto Peñasco. I think it is a very important step that we have that area very well covered, the issue of promoting the destination.”
It also points to the deterioration of road accesses, particularly the Sonoyta section. Puerto Peñasco, which is the most used by U.S. tourists, and problems related to security and treatment of foreign visitors.
He pointed out that some tourists with American license plates are detained for no clear reason, and there are even cases in which police officers wait for them at the destination’s exits, a situation that generates annoyance, fear, and mistrust.
Another factor that has impacted occupancy in hotels and condominiums is the growth of accommodation on digital platforms. While in 2024 there were around 3,200 properties registered in vacation rental schemes, at the end of 2025 the inventory increased to 4,537 units, which represents an approximate growth of 41%.
“It was not the same as last year, because as we have been seeing, we have more inventory on digital platforms, our formal hosting has been a little affected.”
This increase in the supply of accommodation in the short term has significantly expanded competition for the formal sector, modifying the distribution of tourism demand. ??
Although Puerto Peñasco continues to be one of the main destinations in Sonora, the figures show the need to strengthen promotion strategies, improve infrastructure, and generate greater certainty for the visitor, in order to recover the occupancy levels recorded in previous years.
Source: Mega Noticias
