Los Cabos Tourism Board announced Wednesday that it will begin its reopening plan for international travel on June 1, welcoming visitors while requiring new health and safety guidelines for its hotels, restaurants, and travel operators.

The five-phase reopening plan will continue until the beginning of 2021, when the destination, it said, expects a projected recovery in bookings of 80%.

The tourism board is projecting a decrease in travel arrivals of 35% in 2020, representing nearly 1 million visitors. Los Cabos is Mexico’s top travel luxury destination welcoming over 3.2 million travelers every year, and accounts for 75% of the state’s GDP.

In June, Phase 1 will limit travel activity with focus on implementation of the health and safety standards and compliance across the destination. 65 hotels will start operating on June 1st, which represent 62% of the total hotel inventory in the destination.

Airlines like Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest, and Delta have already announced the return of their routes in May and June to Los Cabos connecting Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, and Charlotte with the destination. National airlines like Viva Aerobus and Volaris have also announced their return in May.

Phase 2 will kick off in July with the opening of the international terminal at the San Jose International airport and resuming international visitation.

From August to September, Phase 3 will be a slow recovery of national and international arrivals, especially the reservations that were postponed from March and April to a later time.

Phase 4 from October to December will see luxury travelers to return to the destination along with groups and travelers from Canada and the UK. The tourism board said 60% of bookings are projected by the end of the year.

100% of the total inventory is expected to open by the end of 2020 with a strong rebound to be achieved by Q1 of 2021.

The final phase, Phase 5, will take place in Q1 of 2021. The tourism board expects 60% air connectivity to be restored along with 80% of bookings projected to recover by early 2021.

The health and safety measures implemented across the destination include standardized health screening protocols at the airport and ports, enforced flexible travel policies across all hotel properties, streamlining of communication protocols between hotel, suppliers, and local authorities, and issuing a “Clean Point” (Punto Limpio) certification offered by the Mexico federal government to strictly adhere to hygiene protocols.

Airport protocols include thermal imaging to monitor passenger temperatures, risk factor questionnaire for travelers, isolation of infected travelers, and availability of masks to passengers who appear to be ill.

Referencia: Travel Market Report