Under a prop of a vibrant sun surrounding the Ron Santa Teresa logo, amidst a banner of cartoonish palm trees and smiling empanadas that crowned the stage of the Saca El Pecho Fest in Margarita, Alleh and Yorghaki—the two Valencians who resurrected merenguetón, positioning themselves not only on the charts of their region but also in countries like Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and even the top 50 of Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs in the United States—sang their hits before a zoomer audience nourished by TikTok. Also performing at the festival, organized by the rum company alongside the radio station La Mega, were salsa-pop artists Servando and Florentino, as well as emerging musical groups like Motherfowers and Los Menor3s. With companies like Polar and Diablitos among its sponsors, the Saca El Pecho Fest in Margarita—a redesign of the festival, at the Miragua resort across from Playa El Agua, that was originally scheduled to be held at Hacienda Santa Teresa in 2024 and was canceled during the wave of concert cancellations that followed the political upheaval in July 2024—was billed as “the rebirth of the Holy Week celebration in Playa El Agua,” according to company statements.
Saca El Pecho Fest represented part of a larger marketing campaign: from coordination with experts to avoid interfering with sea turtle nesting on the island, to cocktails on Láser and Estelar flights, to the unveiling of Monkey Shoulder, a blended Scottish malt whisky introduced by Ron Santa Teresa in the country. But Ron Santa Teresa—and the constellation of brands that supported the festival—wasn’t the only Venezuelan business giant seeking to capture consumption during Holy Week 2025 on Margarita Island. Diageo—the British multinational alcoholic beverage company that includes Old Parr, Buchanan’s, Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Don Julio, and other brands in its portfolio—organized or sponsored more than 60 activations, tastings, and parties, many in parallel, in clubs, restaurants, bars, liquor stores, hotels, and beaches on the island. Diageo also sponsored the ‘Fantastic Island’ rave by Caracas-based producer Anima Collectiv and offered promotional material and drinks from Buchanan’s, Don Julio and Johnnie Walker to the airlines Rutaca and Avior, even incorporating an aerial DJ on the latter’s flights.
The two liquor giants weren’t betting on a dead horse: according to CORPOTUR Margarita, the state agency in charge of promoting local tourism, the island welcomed 31,936 travelers this Holy Week—a 4.4% increase compared to Holy Week 2024—largely from Caracas, but also from Anzoátegui, Bolívar, and Carabobo. Although the increase was smaller than between 2023 and 2024, when Easter travelers increased from 26,676 to 30,603, the rate marks another year of registered tourist increases since at least 2022, when the island welcomed just 18,188 tourists during Easter. In other words, the number of Easter tourists on the island has increased 75.6% in three years.
In addition to the Saca El Pecho Fest and dozens of Diageo activations, “a multitude of events multiplied: not only beach events, but also cultural and sports events,” says Raquel Uribe, president of the Nueva Esparta Chamber of Commerce. According to Uribe, there was “a huge influx of people to everything related to the gastronomic offering: the restaurants located in the Maneiro municipality (Pampatar), which concentrates the gastronomic offerings.” The economic impact on the island was significant: more than 75% of those surveyed by CORPOTUR Margarita reported spending an average of between $501 and more than $5,000, which would translate into millions of dollars in revenue for the island’s economy in just one week.
Shopping is still king on the island: “There was a strong presence, primarily in one of the new shopping centers, La Vela, and Sambil,” says Uribe. In fact, according to CORPORTUR, the former accounted for more than half of the tourists who visited shopping centers. “There was traffic congestion, there were lines on the roads leading to the beach, and there was a large attendance at the clubs,” says Uribe. The second phase of La Vela, which has more than 100 stores of national and international brands and is estimated to have generated around 3,000 jobs, was inaugurated in December 2023.
“The feeling was that twice as many people came,” says Antonio de Abreu, president of the Nueva Esparta Chamber of Tourism, explaining that the high number of events—something different from 2024—may have generated more activity, even though the increase in tourists wasn’t as large. “A very fierce crowd between eighteen and twenty-five years old came,” he explains, “eager for Margarita, the beach, sun, sand, the disco, the party.” In fact, according to data from CORPORTUR Margarita, more than a quarter of the tourists were under 35. The island has been repositioning itself as a youth Easter destination in recent years, with American superstar DJ Steve Aoki hosting the 2023 “Solo en Margarita” festival –sponsored by Diageo’s Johnnie Walker– and the presence of between 60 and 70 DJs on the island in 2024: 30 of them at Goa 007 alone, a nightclub on the island whose Easter parties have been promoted by both Diageo and Santa Teresa brands – even simultaneously. This year, the ‘Fantastic Island’ rave featured New York DJ Vanjee, accompanied by several Venezuelan DJs, and even a padel tennis tournament beforehand.
However, despite the bustling atmosphere and the clear increase in consumer spending this year, the growth rate of tourists slowed compared to previous years. With the Venezuelan economy slowing, and with it the purchasing power of Venezuelans, a trip to Margarita “involves significant travel, whether by sea or plane, and the expenses you have to incur here during your vacation,” says Eleonora Mata Mirabal, general manager of the state Chamber of Commerce.
Fortunately for the economy and the people of Margarita, the blackouts that affected Margarita in November 2024—following an explosion at a PDVSA complex in Monagas that disrupted the island’s gas supply—have not returned since service was restored at the end of that month. While those months were defined by blackouts lasting between 12 and 20 hours (despite announced eight-hour rationing), ice shortages, “enormous” economic losses, and the suspension of classes, this Holy Week “the electricity, fuel, and water supply worked perfectly,” says Uribe. Furthermore, he explains, the cisterns installed by hotels and condominiums have solved the water shortages that once drained the island’s swimming pools during the deepest years of the Venezuelan crisis. “I would say that the security agencies planned their strategies to minimize the issue of accidents or abuses, even at the checkpoints,” he says.
De Abreu also explains that the island’s hotels—where more than 30% of tourists stayed, according to CORPORTUR Margarita—are working with power plants, making the sector less vulnerable to potential power outages. Nearly 20% stayed in rented residences, many through platforms like Airbnb or the Venezuelan startup Estei. “This Holy Week, the peak season began just 20 days in advance, and the profile was younger people, groups of friends who went to the island,” says Mauricio Mundó, founder and CEO of Estei, comparing this with the advance planning and family groups that defined Estei’s clientele in December.
But Holy Week on the island isn’t so sunny for everyone. Despite an increase in tourist numbers, says Jesús Domingo Boadas—known as “Minguito” and owner of Kiosko El Caney, the oldest restaurant on the touristic Playa Parguito, for over 40 years—the number of young tourists didn’t necessarily translate into consumption: although more beach tents than usual were rented on the beach, says Boadas, young tourists “brought two-liter sodas, a bottle rack, and practically didn’t consume anything.” Furthermore, he asserts, festivals and parties don’t always translate into profits for locals because “most of the vendors come from the mainland,” he explains.
@doumatpedro Capaz Alleh y Yorghaki en Margarita #allehyorghaki #margarita ♬ sonido original – Doumat
Also, says Mariú Moya, Boadas’s wife, the prices of some ingredients on the island increase starting the week before Holy Week due to the arrival of wealthy tourists from Caracas, affecting the purchasing power of local consumers. “Fish prices almost double; snapper was at seven, eight [dollars],” says Moya. “By Holy Week, a kilo of snapper was at $14. And you can’t charge at the parallel [dollar rate].”
The challenges for merchants on the island are many and not so different from those in the rest of the country, Moya explains: they must seek to strike a balance between tax demands despite the economic context, the lack of incentives, and the exchange rate gap. “The problem is that Holy Week is only a few days, four days,” he says, “What about the rest of the year?”
