Restaurateurs worry about increase toll at Mazatlan-Durango Highway

Óscar Palacios, president of Canirac, says that the increase in tolls will impact tourism.

MAZATLÁN._ After the increase in tolls on some of the country’s highways, especially the Mazatlán-Durango, the port’s restaurant sector also foresees damages, especially for its main visitors, those of the northern economic corridor.

Óscar Palacios, President of the National Chamber of the Restaurant Industry and Seasoned Foods of Mazatlán, mentioned that if it is going to impact tourism the increase, because although it is not much if it sticks in the pockets of its visitors.

“Like the hotel industry, the restaurants will be affected by this measure, impacting the visitors that come, maybe the increase will not be heard much but if it is a significant increase that we have no doubt that it will have a negative impact in the visitors, “he declared.

The increase of the “superhighway” was off 12 percent, from a range between 10 to 17 percent that was increased in other roads of the country.

From 529 pesos, since Friday it has a cost of 601 pesos.

“We will wait to have a more concrete measurement in the following days or weeks to measure how much it is going to affect and in this way take the measures, the call is to the corresponding authorities that consider this, it will affect us in a tourist way, “he said.

On the other hand, Mónica Coppel, Undersecretary of Tourism in the State, indicated that she does not see affectations with the increase of the toll since the tourist prefers to visit the destiny by the acquired experience, more by what is going to spend.

“Mazatlan has a lot to offer and I do not think that will affect the arrival of tourists, the flow of tourists in which until now we have benefited, especially on weekends,” he argued.

Restaurants are prepared for national holidays and box

The members of Canirac are already preparing to welcome diners to celebrate the festivities on September 15, as well as to witness a boxing fight that will take place that same day, said its president, Óscar Palacios.

“We hope to have 100 percent full, it’s always a good day, it gets together with the fights and the fights pull a lot of people. We already have promotions, the restaurants are preparing, it is a date in which the restaurants are prepared well in advance and the reservations start with time, to such a degree that some are already in their entirety of secluded places, “he said.