La Paz’s tourism trust completed a four-city promotional tour through California, pitching the Baja California Sur capital to more than 300 travel companies in what officials call the destination’s top international market.
FITUPAZ, the municipal tourism trust for La Paz (Fideicomiso de Turismo de La Paz), sent a delegation to San Diego, Costa Mesa, Brentwood, and Los Angeles. The team presented to travel agents and tour operators connected to the Travel Store network and the Virtuoso luxury travel advisor network.
Hotels and Operators Join the Push
The La Paz delegation included representatives from four hotels: Amina, El Perdido, Paradero, and Perla. Adventure tour operator Sunny Adventures and La Paz Yacht Charter also participated. CBX, the cross-border bridge connecting Tijuana’s airport to San Diego, and Alaska Airlines provided connectivity support for the effort.
FITUPAZ Director Luz María Zepeda Esquerra said maintaining a constant presence in California is essential to promoting La Paz’s nature, food, and culture. Zepeda, who has been quoted in outlets including The New York Times describing La Paz as “an adventure destination,” has led the trust’s strategy of targeting quality-over-quantity tourism.
Destinations on the Menu
The presentations promoted several key sites across the region. Balandra, the iconic turquoise-water beach about 30 minutes north of La Paz, and Isla Espíritu Santo, the UNESCO-protected island known for sea lion colonies and snorkeling, were both featured. The delegation also pitched Sierra La Laguna, the biosphere reserve in the mountains between La Paz and Los Cabos.
Towns beyond the city itself got attention too. Todos Santos, the artsy Pacific-side pueblo about an hour west of La Paz, was included alongside the old mining town of El Triunfo, the East Cape fishing hub of Los Barriles, and the remote fishing area of Puerto Chale on the Pacific coast.
California Remains the Key Market
California has long been La Paz’s primary source of international visitors. Direct flights from Los Angeles on Alaska Airlines and easy access through CBX from San Diego make the destination reachable in roughly two hours by air. La Paz has positioned itself as an alternative to the large-scale resort model of Los Cabos, focusing instead on ecotourism and small-scale hospitality.
The city has no large resorts and no current plans to build any. A 2023 proposal to build a cruise ship port was withdrawn after local opposition. The promotional tour through California is part of FITUPAZ’s ongoing strategy to attract visitors who align with that lower-impact tourism model.
The story was first reported by the Baja California Sur state government website, bcs.gob.mx.