Hotel occupancy on Holy Thursday and Good Friday was 100%, in gastronomy there was an increase of 10%, compared to 2023.
Holy Week in Popayán is the best time of the year for hotels, restaurants, crafts, businesses, transportation and commerce in general, areas that drive the local economy.
In this regard and preliminarily, the mayor of Popayán, Juan Carlos Muñoz Bravo, presented positive figures that favor different sectors of the community and, therefore, the municipality.
For his part, the commander of the Popayán Metropolitan Police, Colonel Miguel Camelo, reported that during Holy Week crime was reduced.
The mayor stated that according to the first figures provided by Cotelco and the Cauca Trade Council, hotel occupancy was 100% during Holy Thursday and Holy Friday; In gastronomy, an increase in sales of 10% was recorded compared to 2023, a line that seduced the palates of nearly 18 thousand diners.
The president highlighted the strategy implemented in relation to the Caldas Park stands, which was possible through an agreement with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, which allowed them to be occupied, free of charge, primarily by older adults and disabled people. disability.
In the first report, there was no balance of sales and business carried out at fairs such as Manos de Oro and business fairs, such as Expocauca, nor of the Religious Music Festival, among other cultural and artistic activities, because according to Mayor Muñoz Bravo, the figures are consolidating and soon the economic impact of the best week for the city will be known.
The mayor said well that there are many aspects to improve, work that remains pending for his administration, especially in terms of the organization of the historic sector, which looked like a Persian market, disorder everywhere. A lot of comments were heard in that sense. “It is true that people need income, but we must organize them, not allow them to do whatever they want, allocate a place for these sales and leave the streets for pedestrians, as had been offered,” several people told this portal.