Epic CANCUN THE IDEAL DESTINATION Tours & Activities Hotels

THE CULTURE IN LOS CABOS – SAN JOSE DEL CABOSAN JOSE DEL CABO (OVERVIEW)

San Jose del Cabo represents a contrasting side of Cabo San Lucas’ “Pop Culture” atmosphere and fame. On the opposite end of Los Cabos, even seeming like stepping back in time, vacationers will find in San Jose del Cabo the culture, tradition, history, and an overall colorful Mexican experience. Additionally, many unexpected encounters await North American tourists in San Jose del Cabo.Surrounding the central part of San Jose is the traditional way of life encompassed in culture; an ever-friendly smiling people with the warmth that one imagines as part of the traditional Mexican lifestyle. A mission site originally built in 1740 by a Jesuit Priest, bird estuary, active Catholic cathedral reconstructed in the 1940’s and a monument of the over 300 year history including Spanish inquisition, handcrafts, artisan works, city tours, diverse activities, and a far better collection of restaurants than Cabo San Lucas.San Jose del Cabo boasts one of the first mission-sites in all of the Baja California Peninsula, and an active Catholic church now stands and operates next to the quaintness of the plaza. The plaza is the centerpiece to an experiencein San Jose del Cabo, something to marvel at and take pictures while on occasion, visitors are able to snap their cameras as a cultural dance or celebration unfolds directly in front of them depending on the traditional holiday.Finally, San Jose del Cabo is full of hand-made crafts by artisans whom have passed down the traditional methods of painting, sculpting, and overall artistry that dates back to the dates of the natives who dominated the region. San Jose del Cabo is the quiet combined with the quaint experience that many may be looking for and envisioning when coming to Los Cabos, Mexico.

CABO SAN LUCAS – AN INTERNATIONALLY VISITED DESTINATIONCABO SAN LUCAS – INTERNATIONAL, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND SUCCESSFULHow did Cabo become the most requested place to visit by Americans, Canadians, Japanese, Europeans, and other international travelers?

In the last 20 years, Cabo has become a destination hospitable for international tourists and more popular than ever. It is now widely accommodating and being promoted in the last 10 to 15 years to international markets. Southern Californians fell in love with Cabo decades ago due to the close proximity. International interest has grown due to a combination of things. Primarily, deep sea sports fishing, along with the first signature golf course designed by Jack Nickalaus officially opened for play, and the natural wonders caught the attention of potential tourists.Of course, Americans took notice, so did Canadians, and Japanese are emphatic about both golf and deep sea fishing drawing their interest. Tourists originating from these countries possessed the financial means and sophisticated lifestyles. Originally, the destination was an expensive place to visit from the hotels to the activities. Later, the cruise ship industry added one-day stops to Cabo before any marina existed because The Arch was an attraction in itself worth a quick stop. Not to mention, snorkeling and shopping for Mexican artisan handicrafts by cruise ship passengers was perfect. Does Cabo have modern infrastructure? An “old” hotel simply does not exist in Cabo today, with the average hotel a little over 6 years old while anything older has had multi million-dollar renovations and constant modernizations. Marina Cabo San Lucas is just over a decade old and the highway connecting Cabo to the airport is just over 15 years old. Highway 19 stretching from Southern California’s border south through the Baja Peninsula, ends in Cabo San Lucas. Highway 19 was only constructed over two decades ago, is currently much safer, yet being constantly improved as more opt to drive.The Los Cabos International Airport consists of three terminals and is also new and growing. Not many airlines provided direct flights from the U.S. or Canada until recently, only within the last 5 years or so. However, more major carriers are adding direct flights out of major U.S. cities.What are some of the reasons for Cabo’s success? Due to the difficulty in reaching the destination, Cabo was unattainable and the Mexican Board of Tourism development divisions were more interested in Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, and eventually Cancun. Cabo was considered to be too difficult to modernize, a distant place where providing infrastructure was not even feasible, and with such isolation there were simply no people or population to employ. About 30 years ago, the planning began with many involved and for the first time Fonatur (the Mexican Board of Tourism branch, providing infrastructure and planning for tourist destinations) was included. Developing Cabo San Lucas was going to be completely different, focused with the high-end and primarily adult audience in mind, at least at the very beginning. The common thinking was that Cabo San Lucas is small but had already proven that fishing was ideal. Golf could become a premier attraction with perfect terrain and exceptional climate. Finally, the Arch was easily the recognizable natural wonder. Forward thinking investors or developers from both Mexico and the United States familiar with Cabo, purchased large chunks of land immediately. The biggest challenges were a lack of accommodations, water supply, and an airport. So, a young entrepreneur by the name of Ernesto Coppel, constructed a hotel with a view of the Arch and built an international airport. Ultimately, a water supply system was created; tapping into the natural resources from the freshwater river flowing east from nearby mountain rains almost year-round. Also, piping systems were constructed and connected to the abundance of water supplied from the state capital city of La Paz, north of Cabo by approximately 120 miles.