• SLUMP: The crime wave rattling the central state of Guanajuato (pop. 5.8 million) has caused a decline in tourism, with hotel occupancy falling 11% statewide in 2019, including around the industrial city of Salamanca but also in the colonial town of San Miguel de Allende.
• INSECURITY: Right in the middle of a fight between two powerful criminal groups trying to gain control of the local illegal markets, hotel occupancy fell sharply along the industrial corridor that connects Irapuato (20.7% fall), Salamanca (26.3% fall) and Celaya (13.4%fall).
•CELAYA: “Celaya is not a place we can say (insecurity) does not exist…We often see gunfights of criminal groups, which is something we regret. Perceptions damage occupancy. The tourism sector is very sensitive to this issue”, says Miguel Alejandro Cano, head of Celaya’s hotel association.
•VIOLENCE: According to Mexican government data, Guanajuato was the Mexican state with the most homicide reports during 2019: 2,775. The municipalities of Salamanca, Irapuato, Celaya, Cortazar and San Francisco del Rincón have the highest homicide rates in the state.
