Shoulder season bookings show cautious recovery in Costa Mar

Hotel occupancy across Puerto Azul, Punta Verde, and Bahía Blanca averaged 68 percent in the first week of September, up from 61 percent in August and approaching the five-year shoulder-season median of 71 percent, according to the Costa Mar Tourism Cooperative. Dive-operation bookings for the same period reached 82 percent of available slots, suggesting confidence among international clients in water conditions remains intact despite recent nutrient-monitoring alerts.

The rebound follows a difficult summer marked by high water temperatures and persistent visibility concerns that deterred repeat clients and prompted several tour operators to reduce daily quotas as a precaution. Cooperative director Miguel Santoro cautioned that the recovery is "fragile" and depends on the Marine Ministry's water-quality assessments over the coming weeks. If nitrogen levels remain elevated or algal conditions worsen, he said, September and October bookings could contract again.