Milestone in Cancun: 50 years since the opening of the first hotel

50 years ago, Cancún opened its first 24-room Hotel, the Hotel Bojórquez, inaugurated by Alberto Bojórquez Pérez, who will be honored next Saturday, July 20. This historic milestone will commemorate half a century of organized Hotel business in Cancún.

Bojórquez not only promoted Mexican tourism, but also contributed to the development of other destinations such as Huatulco, Ixtapa and Los Cabos. He was a generator of direct and indirect jobs and a promoter of foreign currency and investments for Cancún. His influence was crucial in the process that led Quintana Roo to become a state in October 1974.

Alberto Bojórquez Pérez and Delfina Bojórquez Patrón, his wife, also established the Bojórquez Travel Agency, which has become an emblematic institution of tourism both nationally and internationally. Then-President Luis Echeverría designated one of Cancún’s lagoons as “Bojórquez Lagoon” in honor of this tourism pioneer.

As reported by REPORTUR.mxBojórquez Pérez was the driving force behind its tourism development and the one who initiated the first of the five steps that marked the beginnings of the destination to become the Latin American leader with more than 100 thousand rooms today throughout Quintana Roo. (Cancún: the 5 pioneering steps that Bojórquez initiated to become a leader).

Bojórquez, a perfume merchant, was the first to invest in Cancun, buying 200 square meters where he built his Hotel and sold tours to bays and beaches with his Bojórquez Agencies. Later, a few other hoteliers were encouraged to build more hotels, reaching an offer of 324 rooms by 1972.