Routes with very long lines in one direction and almost empty in the opposite direction: that was the dominant postcard this Saturday in the accesses to the mountain valleys of Córdoba.
One cause explains it: the start of the extra-long Carnival weekend, for the national holidays on Monday and Tuesday.
A dozen mountain towns already showed up this Saturday at the top of their accommodation capacity and began to refer tourists to other neighbors. Others exceeded 90% occupancy but registered until last night the arrival of visitors without previous reservations looking for an available place.
The improvement in weather conditions, following the surprising cold last Thursday, seems to have mobilized many of those who until the last moment doubted their departures for these days.
A focal point this Saturday was the axis of the largest mobilization: the Cosquín Rock, in Santa María de Punilla, an event that sold out all its tickets and that had an impact on the very high occupancy of the accommodation available in the entire region. (More information in VOS supplement).
The movement registered this Saturday in the valleys of Calamuchita, Paravachasca and Traslasierra was also very intense.
Among the 20 main tourist towns in Cordoba, none would drop below 90% average occupancy for Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
That this extra-long “weekend” touches 100% occupancy in the Sierras is not surprising: since these Carnival holidays were created, it became the peak date for tourist calls, by adding those who vacation at the end of summer with whom they make short outings in those four days.
Among the Cordoba tour operators, this weekend is assumed as the closing of the high summer season. February will have a few days left, but with the start of the school year on top of that, chances of high mobility are reduced and March is interpreted as medium or low season, depending on the case.