Mexico City: Filming of 007 flick ‘Spectre’ boosted business in capital’s historic centre

MEXICO CITY – Mexico City officials said Thursday that recent filming for the upcoming James Bond movie “Spectre” was a business boon for the capital’s colonial core, despite complaints over lost sales blamed on street closures.

Hotel occupancy in the historic centre rose 30 per cent during the filming and the number of visitors to the district was up 53 per cent, the city government said in a statement.

It added that producers agreed beforehand to pay 225 businesses up to $2,500 a day in compensation for closures, and most of those had to shut down only for a few hours. Media publicity is also expected to boost business by bringing added interest in the cobblestoned quarter, it said.

“We are in position to affirm that the event not only did not hurt but rather improved commercial conditions for businesses in the centre of the capital,” the government statement said.

Some businesses in the historic centre complained that street closures during the March 19-April 1 film shoot prevented store and restaurant employees from reaching work and also kept many customers away.

The head of the city’s small business chamber said proprietors reported a 60 per cent fall off in sales during the first week of filming.