Whale tourism in Mexico offers tourists relaxing escape from pandemic

An aerial view of gray whales swimming near a whale watching boat. — GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP

A giant barnacle-encrusted gray whale nuzzles her calf next to a small boat of excited tourists in the waters off the Baja California peninsula in northwestern Mexico.

The annual arrival of the migratory mammals, coinciding with a drop in coronavirus infections, has provided a much needed boost to the region’s battered tourism industry.