During the Easter holiday period, from March 30 to April 12, the municipality of Querétaro will receive around 200,000 visitors, representing an economic impact close to 900 million pesos, according to estimates from the Secretary of Tourism. The head of the department, Mariana Ortiz, indicated that for this period, a 10% increase in tourists is expected compared to last year. This, she said, would translate to an average hotel occupancy of 65%, although in the Historic Center it could reach 100%. “The entire tourism sector is aligning these activities because we believe that in the end we all have the same mission, which is to get more visitors to come, whether they are from outside or from Querétaro itself, but that they come to enjoy and see this coordination between different agencies,” said Ortiz. Ortiz Cabrera emphasized that one of the main attractions of the season will be the Procession of Silence of the Diocese of Querétaro, which this time will celebrate its 60th anniversary and last year gathered more than 20,000 spectators. However, she highlighted that the representations of the Stations of the Cross in delegations such as Félix Osores and Felipe Carrillo will also represent important events for the tourism sector, along with free tours that several tour operators will offer on April 2 in the Historic Center. In this sense, she stated that the Querétaro capital seeks to position itself as a benchmark for religious tourism in the state, since currently, the municipalities with the highest attendance in religious activities are El Marqués and Tolimán, which gather between 15,000 and 20,000 people in their Stations of the Cross. “The visits we will have during Holy Week will also activate hotels, restaurants, businesses, and other areas that can be sold in the historic center, and we are a single army that will be carrying out these activities,” she pointed out.
