Riviera Nayarit Celebrates First Year Anniversary with Impressive Record of Achievement
18 Aug 2008
by:
Riviera
Nayarit is Mexico's newest travel destination stretching along 100 miles of
pristine Pacific coast framed by spectacular mountains to the north of renowned
Puerto Vallarta. For more information, visit RivieraNayarit.com
Riviera
Nayarit, Mexico - On its first anniversary as Mexico's newest official travel
and tourism destination, Riviera Nayarit is celebrating a record of impressive
achievement in the development of new facilities, infrastructure, travel
packages and tours, and world class hotels and resorts. Even as they look
forward to continued growth, Nayarit officials expressed pleasure and
satisfaction with recent public/private initiatives and accomplishments.
"In just a year, Riviera Nayarit has begun to establish itself
internationally as one of Mexico's newest and most in-demand destinations. We
have become a popular year-round tourism destination demonstrated by the high
average occupancies our hotels and resorts enjoy," said Marc Murphy,
director of the Riviera Nayarit Convention & Visitors Bureau. "This is
the result of major investment by government but also because of a remarkable
joint effort by the public and the private sectors, including world-class
international brands, to commit to this exceptionally beautiful and unspoiled
region on the Pacific Coast. We are not going to rest on our laurels though and
we look forward to improving our products and creating new creative programs to
attract travelers to Riviera Nayarit."
Riviera Nayarit is the New "Hot" Spot - Achievements & New
Developments
Nayarit enters into its second year as the fourth highest tourism destination
in Mexico in capturing investment, including a 12.5 percent increase in 2007. Over
$350 million was committed to 35 projects spread across several areas,
including Bahia de Banderas, Nuevo Vallarta, Punta Mita, Litibu and Flamingos.
Almost three-quarters of the investment is from interests in Mexico and 10
percent from American companies.
Since 2005, the Mexican government has invested $1.5 billion in tourism
facilities and infrastructure in the destination, including a major new highway
system under construction. While the majority of hotel development in Nayarit
is by Spanish brands, high-level American brands currently in the market or
planned for the future include: St. Regis, Four Seasons, Hyatt and Capella.
New properties and facilities that have opened since the brand was announced
last year include:
• 400-slip luxury marina in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle
• Hotel des Artistes and Café des Artistes del Mar in Punta de Mita
• Villa La Estancia in Flamingos
• Hotel Riu Pacifico in Nuevo Vallarta
Beyond investment in new facilities and infrastructure, Nayarit has enhanced
the tourism experience with several new high-profile events. These include an
Americas Cup Sailing Tour, Riviera Nayarit fishing and surfing tournaments, the
14th International Gourmet Festival: Puerto Vallarta & Riviera Nayarit
(formerly the Puerto Vallarta Gourmet Festival but expanded to incorporate
Riviera Nayarit), international sailing events and a Festival of Migratory
Birds in the eco-region of San Blas.
Meanwhile, the CVB has been busy educating the international travel industry
and helping to develop new packages and programs. An extensive travel trade
outreach program featured seminars, trade shows and familiarization trips for
travel agents and tour operators. The Riviera Nayarit website has been
substantially updated and new brochures, a photo library, video collection and
destination logo have been developed. According to Murphy, these efforts have
been positively received and are generating results
Awards & Accolades for Riviera Nayarit
Clearly, Riviera Nayarit's public/private partnership is working. For the third
year in a row, Nuevo Vallarta ranked number one for hotel occupancy rates in
Mexico, almost 15 percentage points above the national average. Rincon de
Guayabitos, one of the destination's charming villages, ranked number two
nationally in terms of the rise in hotel occupancy rates.
The 2008 AAA Travel Guide awarded its coveted Five-Diamond Award to two resorts
in the area - the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita and the Grand Velas All Suites
& Spa Resort - and the Four-Diamond Award to three others - the Grand
Mayan, the Vallarta Palace, and Casa Las Brisas. Three Nayarit restaurants also
earned the Four-Diamond designation.
As further proof of Nayarit's newfound popularity, in the first quarter of
2008, international arrivals were soaring, based on nearby Puerto Vallarta
International Airport figures showing 900,000 arrivals, an increase of more
than 30,000 passengers on scheduled service over the same period in 2007.
Officials attribute the growth to success in securing air service from such
U.S. cities as Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver, Minneapolis, Dallas,
Houston, San Francisco, Newark, Portland and Salt Lake City as well as Canadian
gateways. Charter flights have also increased, by 32 per week in February 2008
alone.
What the Future Holds for Riviera Nayarit
Looking ahead, momentum is rising for the development and enhancement of
Riviera Nayarit's tourism experience. As the new highway system continues to be
built, there will be openings of the St. Regis Punta Mita, the Riu Palace
Pacifico, Dreams Villa Magna and the new Playa del Sol Spa within the next 12
months. A second Jack Nicklaus course in Punta Mita and a Greg Norman course in
Litibu will enhance the world-class golf experience.
Further down the road, the Litibu resort development will feature three
Iberostar resorts, Secrets, La Tranquila and Fiesta Americana properties as
well as another golf course. Higera Blanca will be a boutique hotel just north
of Litibu. By 2011, Punta Raza will offer three new luxury properties - a Grand
Hyatt, a Park Hyatt and the Elysian. New condo resorts will include Marival,
Taheima and the second and third stages of the Marina Riviera Nayarit
development. In addition to a new luxury Capella resort in Destiladeras, the
region's next major resort development will be El Capomo.
About Riviera Nayarit
Riviera Nayarit is Mexico's newest travel destination stretching along 100
miles of pristine Pacific coast framed by spectacular mountains to the north of
renowned Puerto Vallarta. Mostly undeveloped, the destination extends from the
resorts of Nuevo Vallarta to the historic, colonial town of San Blas, including
exclusive Punta Mita and the spectacular Banderas Bay. The region features
luxury resorts and eco-tourism boutique hotels, world-renowned surfing, four
professional golf courses, rare native wildlife including sea turtles and
tropical birds, mountain and island adventures, shopping for local artwork and
traditional Huichol handicrafts, charming fishing towns and miles of serene beaches.
For more information, visit RivieraNayarit.com.
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