Cabo’s Calling and the Message is Mighty

Cabo’s Calling come-back from COVID has anything but greatly exaggerate. The stellar destination, which was formerly a relax fishing outpost on the southern point of the Baja, has been seeing green as a vacation destination and now rivals Cancun in popularity. And it has been making waves with the darlings of the boho crowd as COVID recedes into the horizon. In fact, during COVID, Los Cabos was one of the few vacation destinations that thrives.

During a lunch last month while visiting Los Angeles, Rodrigo Esponda, managing director of the Los Cabos Tourism Board, stated, “We think that 2023 is going to be a historical year.” His message was extensive and went beyond noting what travel agencies are uses to booking in Los Cabos, but he was there to inform Virtuoso professionals of some of the new reasons to send clients to the location. 

“2022 was a good year, a very good year. We grew 25 percent. But 2023 is showing tourism growth by an additional 18 percent so far and that is only since January,” said Esponda.

Cabo’s Calling

Los Cabo’s Calling is becoming increasingly popular as a high-end luxury resort. The final beachfront casita at the Four Seasons in Los Cabos, for instance, was listed for sale in April for $22.5 million. The six bedroom, six bathroom beach villa is one of many such villas in Los Cabos, most of which are scenically located along the Sea of Cortez that may reserve from as low as  $6,000 per night to $20,000 through a number of travel agent-friendly portals. 

Then there is Nobu Hotel Los Cabos, which now offers a choice of residences following its grand opening in 2019 with owners Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro, and Meir Teper present and events that features celebrities like Leo DiCaprio. Find homes with one to four bedrooms, opulent amenities, and modern décor may now reserves for a more affordable $1,600 per night. 

Catering to Top Tier Visitors: Cabo’s Calling

In an unexpect trend, Cabo’s appeal to private fliers has been growing steadily due to the number of new private flight options and the diversity of extravagant villa options. To this point, the number of private fliers from the US to Los Cabos increased by more than 83 percent in comparison to 2019 numbers, totaling more over 9,000 each month. Recently, JSX offered a more economical semi-private or hybrid option to travel in style to Los Cabos using private terminals or airports that avoid the crowds and airport turmoil and give travelers a roomy and comfortable inflight experience. 

The closest private airport to Cabo, Cabo San Lucas Airport (CSL), is where private pilots are most likely to land. That little airport serves around 70% of the private aviation flights in Los Cabos. About 30% of private aircraft traffic passes via Los Cabos International Airport in Cabo San Lucas (SJD), which, like CSL, is in the midst of considerable expansion plans. 

Cabo’s Calling

Esponda adds that as of June, there were almost 600 weekly schedule flights to SJD with direct connectivity from 24 U.S. locations, which is how the majority of people who travel by air to the beach resort destination. Avoris Iberojet in Madrid, Condor and Eurowings out of Frankfurt, Edelweiss from Zurich, Virgin Atlantic from London, Copa Airlines from Panama, and Jetlines from Toronto are recent entrants or have intentions to enter this market. However, Southern California brings in the majority of visitors and accounts for about a quarter of the market share. Next are Dallas (16.1%), Houston (14.8%), and Phoenix (12%). 

Passengers arriving at Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) will see some other unexpected improvements: an ambitious project to establish 20-second customs pass-throughs is underway. The new system is a welcome transformation to the lengthy waits and snaking lines visiting arrivals are used to experiencing. 

More than 670,000 international travelers, largely from the United States, came through the airport during the first quarter of this year making SJD the third busiest airport in Mexico. 

Cabo’s Comely Hotels

Los Cabos is rich in hotel inventory. It has 18,000 rooms, with 2000 of them belonging to 14 Virtuoso hotel partners. That includes eight of Mexico’s 15 Five Diamond resorts — two more than Los Angeles can brag, according to Esponda. However, Cabo’s lodging costs are not inexpensive. The average daily rate in March was $509, which was much higher than it was in the previous year and may still be difficult to book. This year, hotels have consistently records an impressive 80% occupancy rate. 

Grand Velas Boutique Los Cabos, an adults-only, all-inclusive resort with 79 suites and a view of the Sea of Cortez, is one of the eagerly anticipate debuts — aiming for a late 2023 opening. Then there is the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Cabo San Lucas in Cabo Del Sol, to be found on 50 oceanfront acres with 74 guest rooms and casitas, 17 sizable suites, and five stylish villas, that will also open later this year. It will bring both kid-friendly and adult-only pools, a lavish spa, and an outdoor market among the amenities. 

The St. Regis Los Cabos in Quivira, the Amanvari on the East Cape, the Vidanta East Cape, and the Soho House and Beach Club in Cabo del Sol will all be opening its doors in 2024. 

Other, more established hotels such as Hacienda del Mar, are adding unusual amenities, such as only in Mexico dining options, Kosher wedding planning and unusual wellness treatments. 

Cabo’s Whales, Wealth and Wonders

Complementing the plethora of hotels and new builds are some of the reasons visitors come this way. Esponda is particularly excited about the options provids by the Modern Elder Academy, a unique retreat based in Los Cabos and founded by serial hospitality entrepreneur, Chip Conley. The Modern Elder Academy offers five- and seven-day mastery workshops for people in mid- or late-career who are looking for their next path and purpose. 

Esponda also believes in Cabo’s seales future as be a popular diving destination and recommends the DiveNinja diving calendar as a reliable source for information on seasonal diving and opportunities, especially to observe whales and other marine life. 

Conclusion

It has been challenging, he says, to give travel agents (who book around a third of travelers arriving in Los Cabos) a variety of ways to access information, locate the ideal items for their customers, and conveniently book them. For advisors, Los Cabos Specialist program continues to provide plenty of incentives for staying current on the destination and brings needed information on new restaurants, many of which have Michelin stars and add sheen to the location. 

Then there is a robust selection of wellness services—which, according to Esponda, are requested by 80% of visitors—and receive regular updates on the official website, VisitLosCabos.travel.  And, he says, “It has taken a tremendous amount of work in Los Cabos with all hands on deck to maintain the perception and reality of safety throughout the beach resort.”