Mazatlán tourism surges as authorities tackle violence and beach safety

Mexico’s Pacific city of Mazatlán welcomed more than 2.57 million visitors from January to date, with an average hotel occupancy of 75 % and an estimated economic impact of 18.1 billion pesos. The tourism sector reported 81 cruise ship arrivals carrying 300,000 passengers, 101 conferences with 164,000 attendees, and the construction of 17 new hotels adding roughly 2,500 rooms.

The city is also confronting a sharp rise in violent incidents. In one week, 17 people were killed, and three explosive devices were thrown at a sushi restaurant, a residence and a private home without detonating. Municipal secretary Moisés Ríos Pérez called for a redesign of the State Security and Peace Board and the deployment of 900 additional soldiers, bringing the local security force to about 1,500 personnel.

Public safety teams have been active on the beaches. The municipal aquatic rescue squad saved 17 swimmers in seven interventions on a single day, bringing its total to 25 rescues this season, while warning beachgoers about “mar de fondo” conditions that have produced waves up to three metres. Protection‑civil officials urged the public to heed warning flags and avoid swimming in hazardous seas.

Environmental initiatives continued with the launch of a night‑time patrol along 16 km of coastline to protect nesting sea turtles, a season expected to be record‑breaking, and a state‑wide beach‑cleaning campaign “ECO Sinaloa, tu acción es el eco,” led by tourism secretary Mireya Sosa Osuna and beach‑operator director Ángel García Contreras.