Puebla, Pue. At least 10 hotels, representing around 250 rooms, will begin to reopen during the second half of 2022, after they were forced to stop activities due to low occupancy as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In this regard, Manuel Dominguez Gabián, president of the Poblana Association of Hotels and Motels, explained that between one and a year and a half the complexes remained closed, which implied the loss of just over 400 direct jobs.
He indicated that now there are other economic conditions and that allows businessmen to resume operations to recover, also longing for partners who are at 50% room occupancy, when the normal should be 65% in low season.
He commented that it is not easy to reopen hotels that are three to four stars because “it is starting from scratch, that is, having an investment as a cushion to endure the first months of reopening for operating expenses and payroll, as well as for promotion.”
However, he asked the state and municipal authorities to present a tourism promotion strategy, since other entities are more advanced in promoting the recovery of their sectors in the remainder of this year.
Domínguez Gabián said that the 10 hotels that will reopen had no choice but to take the risk, since they are properties that also deteriorate if they are not used and, in addition, services such as electricity, telephone and water do not stop paying even when there is low consumption.
Likewise, he pointed out that they will begin to hire new personnel, since many migrated to various businesses or left Puebla to go to other tourist destinations.
“Fortunately, there were no more closures of establishments in the sector, although there could have been more, if it were not for the fact that the tourist influx increased by lapses, according to the behavior of the pandemic in outbreaks of infections,” he deepened.
The businessman recalled that since the Easter holidays they determined to eliminate the discounts of up to 50% that they maintained for much of 2021 to improve the influx of tourism, although there were few results because people still did not want to leave completely due to the incidence of cases covid positive.