Most of the Mexican destinations to which discount air carrier Volaris flies are coastal resort towns, giving Las Vegans a means to enjoy Cancun, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos.
But the newest route on the Volaris map should also benefit Las Vegas tourism.
The Mexico City-based airline on Monday announced twice-weekly non-stop air service between Las Vegas and Querétaro, one of Mexico’s leading industrial and economic hubs, about 135 miles northwest of Mexico City.
Flights begin Dec. 4
Flights will operate Mondays and Fridays starting Dec. 4.
On those days, flights will leave Querétaro Intercontinental Airport at 2:10 p.m., local time, arriving at Harry Reid International Airport at 3:48 p.m., local time. The return flights leave Las Vegas at 5:17 p.m., arriving in Querétaro at 10:30 p.m.
Tickets are now on sale on the volaris.com website.
“Las Vegas is home to a significant community with family, cultural and economic ties to Mexico,” Holger Blankenstein, executive vice president of commercial and operations at Volaris, said in a release.
“With this new route, we want to bring our customers closer to a destination that offers a unique combination of history, culture, cuisine and business opportunities, while also making it easier to travel to reunite with family and friends,” Blankenstein said.
Major international corporations in the aerospace, electronics, automotive, chemical, food and financial areas have their national headquarters in Querétaro and the city and its Bajio region has the second-best per capita gross national product in the country behind Monterrey.
“We are thrilled to welcome this new non-stop service from Querétaro with our valued partners at Volaris,” Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said in a release. “This route not only makes it easier for families and friends to connect, but it also opens the door for more visitors from the Bajío region to experience everything that makes Las Vegas one of the world’s most exciting destinations.”
For Las Vegans wanting a new travel destination, Querétaro has a rapidly growing vineyards agriculture and hosts the famous wine producer from Spain, Freixenet. Wine production in the state of Querétaro is now the second largest in Mexico after that of the Baja California region.
The new Volaris Querétaro service got kudos from the LVCVA’s aviation consultant when he discussed the downturn of international and domestic travel to Las Vegas on Tuesday in an LVCVA board meeting.
Consultant enthused
Joel Van Over of Atlanta-based Ailevon Pacific Aviation Consulting told board members Querétaro has a population of around 1.6 million people and that 3 million to 3.5 million people live within a 90-mile drive.
“This is an area that has become a very quickly growing aerospace, automotive and IT hub,” Van Over said. “Because of all this growth by these multinational companies, their household incomes are about 30 percent higher than the rest of the country. This is one of the highest income areas in Mexico.”
Van Over said there are numerous expatriates living in the vicinity of Querétaro.
“This is a big deal for Vegas because this opens up a new market in Mexico,” he said. “In fact, this is the first new core Mexico route that we have had since 2012.
“This is one of those where this is an area in Mexico that we haven’t really had a great presence in, but now opens up opportunities for new visitation into Las Vegas. Importantly, we know that Mexicans will continue to come to the United States as well as to Las Vegas.”
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
