Mexico’s weeklong Easter holiday is one of the most important weeks for tourism in neighboring Sonora.

For the last two years, the pandemic dramatically curtailed Holy Week tourism, which is often one of the heaviest weeks of beach visitation and other tourist activities.

But this year, every municipality will be at low-risk on the state’s COVID map, and few, if any, pandemic restrictions will be in place. Large crowds are expected, and hotels are fully booked in beach towns like San Carlos.

In San Carlos on Saturday, Sonora’s Gov.  Alfonso Durazo kicked off Operation Semana Santa 2022, in which hundreds of local, state and federal security forces — including the Mexican Army and National Guard — will participate in ensuring the safety of visitors.