Guanajuato’s Secretary of Tourism, Juan José Álvarez, visited the city on Oct. 6 as part of a formal tourism reactivation event called “Guanajuato, Live Great Stories,” to deliver a metal structure he described as the state’s new tourism brand. This “is a whirlpool of colors, smells, flavors, culture, history, and tradition to the people,” he said, and represents the pride of being from Guanajuato. 

 

The structure will remain at the corner of Hidalgo and Canal for several days and will then be moved to a permanent location either at the Mirador or in Zeferino Gutiérrez Park, according to Francisco García, director of Heritage and Historic Center. 

 

“This brand is a call for people to come to Guanajuato and build their stories,” said Álvarez on the same day that Condé Nast Traveler magazine announced San Miguel de Allende as the “Best City in the World to Travel.” He added that this recognition represents a great challenge for the Department of Tourism, although he did not state exactly how.

 

During the event, Governor Diego Sinhué Rodríguez boasted about Guanajuato’s distinction as a designated Safe Destination by the World Tourism Council and once again announced the construction of Boulevard de la Libertad, a four-lane highway connecting San Miguel and Dolores Hidalgo that will include a bike path and a promenade lined with jacarandas. For this executive project, San Miguel has already contributed 15 million pesos, with Dolores contributing eight more. The governor stated that approximately US$50 million will be invested in this project, although there is still no set date for when this federal route will be upgraded, and clarified that the government already committed 40 million pesos for the Cieneguita causeway bridge, for which he asked Mayor Luis Alberto Villarreal to speed up the paperwork.

 

Finally, the mayor confirmed that city council will soon provide approval for hotels to increase occupancies from 40 to 75 percent and for bars and restaurants to close at 12am instead of 10:30pm. Moreover, hot air balloon trips and tourist trolley buses will soon be operating. This, he highlighted, is thanks to the fact that the city has done an exemplary job of handling the pandemic.