Puerto Vallarta Projects 95 Percent Hotel Occupancy for the Day of the Dead Long Weekend After a Weak Year

Puerto Vallarta expects hotel occupancy of 95 percent over the first long weekend of November. Alejandra Cornejo, the city's director of economic promotion and tourism, announced the figure on October 26 and described it as a preview of the momentum expected for the winter season. It is a projection, not a measured result, and should be read that way. According to Contralínea, the holiday program includes a catrina exhibition at the Plaza de Armas, aimed at drawing both domestic and international visitors.

The context is what gives the number weight. According to DataTur, the federal tourism ministry's data service, Puerto Vallarta averaged 51.1 percent occupancy in June 2026, compared with 62.4 percent in June 2025, as reported by Agencia Reforma. Vallarta Independiente, citing the same data source, reported that the year opened at 81.5 percent in January and 80.4 percent in February, then fell to 59.1 in March, 63.9 in April, 57.3 in May and 51.1 in June.

Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro put the drop in Puerto Vallarta hotel occupancy at roughly 20 percent compared with last year. He pointed to the violence of February 22 in several parts of the state and to the strength of the peso against the dollar, which makes the trip more expensive for North American travelers. He estimated that the industry will need until at least February 2027 to get back to where it stood a year ago. Jalisco Tourism Secretary Michelle Fridman expects a rebound toward the end of the year, helped by promotion campaigns, new events and stronger air connectivity.

October also brought an operational disruption. Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico extended the closure of Puerto Vallarta's airport until 8 a.m. on October 13 because of the slow movement of Hurricane Simon. A Heraldo de México flight-status report for October 28 says the terminal was operating normally that day, with no confirmed cancellations.

For owners who rent by the night, a high-occupancy long weekend is a good short-term sign, but one weekend does not undo a year of markedly lower occupancy. Anyone projecting rental income for this season should work from DataTur figures rather than municipal projections. Among the sources we reviewed, we found no official data after June, so the true size of the recovery is still unknown. For buyers and investors, the signal to watch is whether December and January occupancy confirms the rebound officials are predicting, or whether the governor's February 2027 estimate proves closer to reality.