Category: News

Flights between Vallarta · Nayarit and United States increase, since two destinations were added to the list: Santa Ana and Denver.

Southwest Airlines reopened the flight from Santa Ana, California, which generates good expectations for Vallarta · Nayarit in the coming spring break season.

In the other hand, the flight from Denver, Colorado, also returned as scheduled by the airline. Both air routes have daily flights to our destination.

With the reopening of flights from Santa Ana and Denver, Southwest Airlines already connects four United States destinations with Vallarta · Nayarit (the other two are Phoenix and Houston with daily operations).

According to Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), during February 2021, the Puerto Vallarta International Airport received 1,390 flights.

During the first half of this month, 767 aircraft were scheduled to land, which will represent a growing trend in the air connectivity.

The state of California represents almost 50 percent of the international visitors who arrive in both Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit.

Photo: Southwest Airlines.

With the aim to provide our destination with a place to house its historical, artistic and cultural testimonies, the Casa Museo de Puerto Vallarta civil association presented a project to develop a museum in the city.

Karla Moreno, Mara Díaz, Arturo Pasos, Mónica Ceballos and Dinorah Gómez, main promoters of this initiative, led this event held in a house on Abasolo Street in El Centro, the site where this museum is expected to be erected.

In order to realize the casamuseo puertovallarta, a tentative name for the museum, donations are required, since the property chosen to carry it out is for sale: “During November 2020, we started looking for a place to rent, but right away we were presented with the opportunity to buy this property to develop the museum. I went to see the seller and, excited about the project, he gave us the keys from January 15, 2021, and he gave us until July 15, 2021 to consolidate the purchase. The current price is 12 million pesos and, as he put the first million, we need to raise 11 million pesos. So, I took the keys and told him we would meet here on that date with the Puerto Vallarta’s money, because this house will belong to our city,” explained Moreno.

To achieve this, the “Tu museo te necesita” (Your museum needs you) campaign has been launched, which consists of five stages:

• Informative Stage (March), to publicize the project through different platforms.
• Preparative Stage (April), where the bank account, payment methods and instructions to donate will be presented.
• Action Stage (May), to start making money deposits. Progress will be reported twice a day.
• Reservation Stage (June), where, in case the amount has not reached, there is an extra time to complete it.
• Property Purchase Stage (July), procedures and everything involving the acquisition of the property.

In this century-old farm will be exhibited from pieces of clay, furniture and utensils, to photographs, paintings and a diversity of objects that will show life in our destination since pre-Hispanic times, its settlement as Las Peñas, the beginnings of Puerto Vallarta and its subsequent development.

“We consider that our history, culture and idiosyncrasy are important features and an added value that distinguish us from other tourist destinations,” Moreno concluded.

For donations and more information visit the casamuseo puertovallarta’s official website.

The first edition of Forbes Life Ranking “The 10 best tourist destinations in Latin America” has arrived in 2021, and the Riviera Nayarit received an honorable mention as Mexico’s “Luxury Destination.”

The destinations included in the ranking are on the wish lists of millions of tourists and are also considered “the year’s most wanted;” it three special destinations in Mexico (CDMX, Los Cabos and Cancún), a country distinguished by the diversity of its offer and the energy of each of its regions.

The Riviera Nayarit and its mention as a “Luxury Destination” was included in a review of the spectacular resorts that have opened their doors in recent months in the destination, such as the One&Only Mandarina. Also mentioned are the upcoming openings of ultra-luxury hotels such as Susurros del Corazón (the boutique hotel by Auberge Resorts in Punta de Mita) and the Ritz-Carlton Reserve Riviera Nayarit.

The full article can be consulted here.

Photo: One&Only Resorts.

Expedia, the global travel agency, reported a spike in searches for vacation spots by Americans, who are particularly interested in the early spring season (March through April).

These data show searches related to warm climates and beaches, where Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit are located due to their natural attractions.

This report lists the Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa, Hotel Mousai Puerto Vallarta and Marival Distinct Luxury Residences All Inclusive as the respondent’s favorite VIP resorts.

Expedia’s Annual Vacation Deprivation Study can be consulted here.

On the other hand, among Mexican visitors, our destination is in the first three positions of their main preferences, which are similar to travelers from other nationalities, who favor natural environments and outdoor spaces, since these facilitate social distancing.

Vallarta · Nayarit satisfies even the most demanding traveler, due to its wide and varied offer of tourist services for all tastes and budgets.

Around the world, various industries have begun their journey towards sustainability. In this sense, more and more facilities are being built and/or remodeled to be more friendly to nature and users. An example of this is the Puerto Vallarta International Airport, which now seeks to become a green air terminal.

Recently, Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP) announced its expansion plan, which includes the creation of a NET Zero smart building, a project that is part of its 2020-24 Master Development Program.

Similarly, during the second half of 2020, the airport’s main parking lot was undergoing remodeling to implement a modern solar panel system, which had an investment of 14 million pesos.

Currently, the Puerto Vallarta International Airport has a total of:

• 20 positions (1,373,475 ft² of platform)
• 11 direct boarding corridors / 14 passenger buses
• 2 last waiting rooms for domestic and international passengers
• Baggage Handling System (BHS)
• 10 emergency plants distributed by zones
• Terminal building area of 475,517 ft²
• Runway 04-22 of 10,187 ft by 148 ft
• General Aviation: 8,719 ft² of building, plus 24 positions (313,499 ft²) and 2 helidecks

During 2020, the Puerto Vallarta International Airport was positioned in the first places of passenger traffic at national level, with a total of 29 destinations (eight domestic and 21 international), 22 airlines (seven domestic and 15 international); resulting in 38,867 operations throughout the year.

Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit are offering many options for COVID-19 testing, so that travelers to the United States can comply with new arrival requirements. In this way, many hotels in our destination offer either free testing or tests for a fee and other appropriate medical facilities can also be found to receive these tests.

Puerto Vallarta hotels providing complimentary COVID-19 antigen tests for guests are: Casa Velas, Fiesta Americana Puerto Vallarta All Inclusive & Spa, Garza Blanca Resort & Spa, Grand Fiesta Americana Puerto Vallarta All Inclusive Adults Only, The Hacienda at Hilton, Hilton Puerto Vallarta Resort, Hotel Mousai, Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta, Krystal Puerto Vallarta, Melia Puerto Vallarta, Now Amber Puerto Vallarta, Secrets Vallarta Bay Puerto Vallarta, Sunscape Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa and Velas Vallarta.

Likewise, Puerto Vallarta hotels offering travelers antigen tests for a fee are: Buenaventura Grand Hotel & Great Moments, Casa Doña Susana, Casa Velas, Costa Sur Resort & Spa, Crown Paradise Club, Fiesta Americana Puerto Vallarta, Friendly Vallarta, Grand Fiesta Americana Puerto Vallarta, Golden Crown Paradise, Hacienda Buenaventura & Mexican Charm, Hilton Puerto Vallarta, Hotel Mio, Hotel Posada de Roger, Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta, Kristal Puerto Vallarta, Los Arcos Suites, Melia Puerto Vallarta, Now Amber Puerto Vallarta, Playa Los Arcos Beach Hotel Hotel Resort & Spa, San Marino, Sheraton Buganvilias Resort & Convention Center, Secrets Vallarta Bay Resort, Sunscape Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa, The Hacienda at Hilton Puerto Vallarta, Villa del Palmar Puerto Vallarta and Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel & Romantic Getaway.

Riviera Nayarit is also taking all necessary precautions to ensure that it remains a safe destination, with hotels, restaurants and tourism-related businesses adhering to the health and safety standards set by the Mexican Federal Government’s Ministry of Health.

Following are the Riviera Nayarit hotels helping guests to get their COVID-19 tests: B Nayar, Cactus Inn, Conrad Punta de Mita, Dreams Villamagna, El Coral, El Pueblito Sayulita, Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, Grand Matlali Hills, Grand Palladium Vallarta, Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit, Haramara Retreat, Hard Rock Vallarta, Hotel Cielo Rojo San Pancho, Hotelito Los Sueños, Iberostar Playa Mita, Imanta Resorts Punta de Mita, Krystal Grand, Las Palomas, Mar al Cielo, Maraica San Pancho, Marival Group, Mesón de Mita, Occidental Nuevo Vallarta, Palmasola, Paradise Village, Playa Escondida, Refugio del Mar, RIU, Royal Decameron Complex, Samba Vallarta, The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort, Vallarta Gardens, Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta, Villa Bella, Villagroup Hotels, Vista Vallarta, W Punta de Mita and Xiobella.

After the opening of important hotel projects in 2020, (Conrad Punta de Mita and One&Only Mandarina), Riviera Nayarit is ready to receive new luxury resorts that will be located in the Punta de Mita area, where its extensive beaches of soft, white sand stand out.

These are the hotel chains of the new luxury resorts that will open in our destination during 2021:

• AM Resorts
  AM Resorts, belonging to the Apple Leisure Group hotel chain, announced the opening of Secrets® Bahía Mita Surf & Spa Resort (278 rooms) and Dreams® Bahía Mita Surf & Spa Resort (363 rooms).

• Auberge Resorts Collection
  Auberge Resorts Collection will open the ultra-luxurious Susurros del Corazón property with 59 residential villas under the “bungalows by the beach” concept, which are designed with a marked boho-chic influence.

• Marriott International
  Grand Matlali Hills Resort & Spa will adopt the all-inclusive concept under the Delta brand, the first resort of Marriott International worldwide. Other projects from this hotel chain include one Ritz-Carlton, one Autograph Collection and one Westin.

• Iberostar
  The second property of this Spanish hotel chain (the first is Iberostar Playa Mita) envisions an exclusive 300-room beachside resort, with lush gardens, swimming pools and amenities.

Similarly, but still with no defined date for its inauguration, the opening of the Ritz-Carlton Reserve Riviera Nayarit is expected, located within the Costa Canuva development, the Centro Integralmente Planeado (CIP) (Integrally Planned Center) of FONATUR, which is currently under construction in Compostela, Nayarit. Right here, a Fairmont Hotels & Resort is being built, still without an opening date.

By 2022, Rosewood Resort & Spa is scheduled to begin operations in Mandarina, the most recent ultra-luxury development in Riviera Nayarit.

Photo: iberostar.com. 

Six hotels from Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit and Costalegre have been included in “The Best Resorts in Mexico: 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards,” published by Condé Nast Traveler.

Out of a total of 40 resorts distributed in some of the most important tourist destinations in the country, the hotels in our region that were included in the prestigious list are:

• Villa del Palmar Flamingos Beach Resort & Spa (11th)
• Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit (12th)
• Cuixmala (14th)
• Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa (18th)
• Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita (30th)
• Las Alamandas (32nd)

The result was obtained from a survey in which more than 600,000 registered voters around the world participated, who sent comments, options and reviews about their travel experiences.

The Readers’ Choice Awards are considered among the most important recognitions in the travel industry, highlighting the best places in the world, including cities, islands, hotels and resorts, airlines and much more.

In December 2020, Condé Nast Traveler included Riviera Nayarit in the worldwide list of the “21 Best Places to Go in 2021.”

Photo: cuixmala.com.

According to the Encuesta Nacional de Seguridad Pública Urbana (ENSU) (National Urban Public Safety Survey) carried out by INEGI, which aims to know the perception of the inhabitants of each region, Puerto Vallarta is in the Top 10 safest cities in Mexico.

Puerto Vallarta has remained as a safe city, in which residents and visitors can live together in a positive and friendly environment.

Cities with Lower Perception of Insecurity

1. San Pedro Garza García
2. Los Cabos
3. Mérida
4. Saltillo
5. La Paz
6. San Nicolás de Los Garza
7. Puerto Vallarta
8. Benito Juárez, CDMX
9. Cuajimalpa de Morelos, CDMX
10. Tampico

The “Percepción Social Sobre Inseguridad Pública a Nivel Nacional” (Social Perception of Public Insecurity at National Level) survey was made in December 2020.