In 1938, a yacht with a crew of young men anchored in front of a beach in Puerto Vallarta. It remained there for several days until the municipal authorities decided to determine who the sailors were. Finding them a bit suspicious, they contacted American authorities who informed them the boat had actually been stolen. A few days later, the California millionaire boat owner, Mr. Lou Foot, arrived in Puerto Vallarta to claim his yacht. He became enchanted with the town and began to spread the word among friends and acquaintances that Puerto Vallarta was a wonderful place.
This, perhaps, was one of the earliest episodes in the town’s evolving tourism industry, beginning with the oldest and still the best form of promotion – word of mouth. Today, as a multi-million dollar industry, attracting tourism involves highly professional and technical promotional efforts that demand a product to back it up.
In contrast with Cancún, Ixtapa, or Huatulco—government planned resort destinations—Puerto Vallarta is somewhat of an accidental resort town. Nobody set out to put Puerto Vallarta on the tourist map, at least not in the early years. But today, the primitive charms of yore have been substituted with million-dollar investments and fierce competition. The globe is shrinking, and traveling to places almost inaccessible in the past because of distance is now common practice. Not too long ago places like Mazatlán, Manzanillo and Acapulco were Puerto Vallarta’s competition; today we are measured up against Bali, New Zealand or Ibiza. However, compared with many, Puerto Vallarta holds its own. But what exactly are its assets, and what could possibly encourage its future success?
We could start Puerto Vallarta’s assessment by saying that there are no pyramids and finish the statement by saying that it doesn’t matter, that, at least up to now, it hasn’t mattered. For we share the natural beauty of Banderas Bay, with its deep waters (either warm or cool depending on the season), immensely rich in bio-diversity, and whose potential as an eco-tourist destination has barely been explored. In lagoons and wetlands birds can be watched year round, while right in the bay whales and dolphins frolic and play. There’s fish to be made into ceviche or grilled on a stick; billfish worthy of international tournaments and colorful fish to be admired diving below the bay’s surface. In the foothills, the tropical forest welcomes hikers, horseback riders and mountain bikers. Crossing its streams and cooling down in the pools formed by their waterfalls, explorers learn to tell fig trees from parotas and amapas. On the beaches at night, marine turtles lay their eggs during the summer months. Banderas Bay is definitely a marvel and worthy enough to compete against pyramids! These assets have earned Banderas Bay membership within the Club des Baies plus Belles du Monde (The World’s Most Beautiful Bays Club), whose main objective is the promotion of exceptional, world-renowned bays. Banderas Bay’s nature is bountiful in both diversity and beauty. And slowly people are becoming more conscious of the paradise they inhabit and undertaking efforts to preserve it.
One such effort is the regional sewage system and treatment plant. This state-of-the-art plant biologically treats sewage waste so it can be released again as clean water without fear of contamination. In-depth studies of the ecological aspects of the environment are being carried on at the University of Guadalajara campus in Ixtapa. And within the community valuable efforts are being made to educate the population in the habits of conservation that will guarantee not only the future, but the present of our main resource: Banderas Bay.
Tall and elegant, palm trees never bend too much in Puerto Vallarta. Although winds may blow they never reach the fury of full hurricane force. The geographical situation of the bay protects it from the storms that cause such devastation in other tropical destinations. All in all, our climate has to be one of the best in the world, especially during the winter when the days are sunny and the nights are cool.
In the downtown area, overhead wires have been cabled underground, to the delight of photographers and strollers that enjoy Puerto Vallarta’s architecture where white walls are interrupted only by flowerpots blooming with bougainvillea, geranium, hibiscus, copa de oro and splendid ferns. The city streets have always been paved in cobbled stones, but now these river rocks have been set in concrete to create a much smoother and durable surface. We remember all too well the loose rocks piled high in front of the Malecón after a particularly serious rainfall. Fortunately water is abundant in Puerto Vallarta. And now, thanks to a radial well in the Ameca River, our source is double enabling the destination to continue its growth without concern for water in the future.
Traffic on the three main throughways that cross the town from north to south has become heavier over the years, a natural result from the healthy growth within the central urban area. Most likely, as Puerto Vallarta continues to experience strong growth, the community will extend north into the flat lands of the valley of Banderas Bay. A similar transition took place in the late ‘80s when the town began to outgrow its limits. The development of Marina Vallarta, considered to be one of the finest marine developments in Latin America, offered new tracts of land for both hotel and residential development. It is the opinion of many that the future growth for Puerto Vallarta will be within the Nayarit section of Banderas Bay, out towards Punta Mita. However there is still plenty of development taking place south of Vallarta, within developments such as Conchas Chinas, Sierra del Mar, Garza Blanca and Mismaloya. And the virgin terrain south of Boca de Tomatlán offers a treasure of possibilities.
People create communities. And as those communities grow, they form smaller communities or neighborhoods with a style of their own. Puerto Vallarta is no exception. The downtonw area, with its oceanfront boardwalk, offers plenty for those looking for art galleries, gourmet restaurants, boutique shops and a lively nightlife. Zona Romántica, found in front of Playa Los Muertos, is best described as funky and fun, with lots of good restaurants, sidewalk cafes and streetside bars. In between is the river Cuale, which offers a colorful marketplace and plenty of more excellent restaurants. Wherever you go in Puerto Vallarta, there are always wonderful restaurants!
To the north, Marina Vallarta caters to those who prefer the marine lifestyle, or perhaps the more modern and contemporary services and architecture that a planned residential development can offer. It features a private school (the American School), an 18-hole golf course and a marina boardwalk lined with restaurants, boutiques and art galleries. Further north are communities such as Bucerías, Sayulita, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle and San Francisco, which have distinct personalities of their own. They will certainly play important roles in Puerto Vallarta’s future.
Now there’s a four-lane highway all the way to La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, shortening dramatically the distance from flourishing coastal communities such as Bucerías to the spectacular developments of Costa Banderas and Punta Mita. From some of the most important airport hubs in Canada and the United States—such as Chicago, Houston, Denver, Los Angeles, Dallas, New York, Seattle, Vancouver, San Diego and San Francisco—American and Mexican airlines bring tourists on direct flights to Puerto Vallarta hassle-free. Today there are more direct flights to Puerto Vallarta from Europe, and markets are being opened in South America. Truly, Puerto Vallarta is not that sleepy little fishing village that so many travel guides describe it as.
It is evident that the promotion carried on by the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Fund is working. Contrary to what used to happen in the past, today there are sufficient means available to properly promote the destination. More would be better; however with the two-percent hospitality tax, there is at least a budget available for marketing and promotion. The Tourism Fund is directed by a committee consisting of ten members: SECTUR, SETUJAL, City Hall, OCV (Conventions and Visitors Bureau), the Hotel & Motel Association, AIHET, ADEPROTUR and CANACO. In addition to media advertising and promotion, the trust funds are destined also to public and media relations, the production of collateral publicity materials such as calendars, posters, brochures, folders, vacation planners, date books, photography CD’s and most recently, for the Internet. Participation in special events, the development of marketing strategies, the creation of alliances with members of the travel industry and organizing trips for the national and international press are also among the trust’s primary activities.
In the competitive marketplace of international tourism, relying on the natural beauty of a destination is not enough. Activities and attractions are essential for our visitors, to keep them entertained. The past decade has seen enormous growth in these areas, with new bay cruises offered, whether it’s by sailboat, catamaran, yacht or the traditional panga. A number of land tours are offered of the town, outlying villages and up into the Sierra Madre mountains. A regional air service now offers day excursions to visit the Huichols, the coast of Careyes, or over to Guadalajara. Golfing, which is a major tourist attraction, is definitely in full swing.
One of the most promising attractions has been the proliferation of fine restaurants. People love to dine and Vallarta offers a myriad of possibilities.
Underlying Puerto Vallarta’s popularity lies the fact that it is a safe place with a lower crime rate than other tourist destinations in this country. Here, authorities have been able to maintain an acceptable balance between ruthless repression and boundless permissiveness. Their duty, as they put it, is one of efficient prevention. Not only in Mexico, but in much of the world, there aren’t many places where one may come out of a disco or a restaurant at two in the morning and walk to the house or hotel, perfectly at ease, without ever looking back.
Vallartans love to share. It may be that they feel blessed and this notion excites their generosity. Arriving from primarily Mascota, Talpa, San Sebastián and Cihuatlán, the town’s founders created a friendly and warm atmosphere that still envelops both visitors and immigrants, whose flow seems endless. Traditionally Vallartans seem open to different cultures and do not suffer from xenophobia. They accept other lifestyles without changing their own. This, in itself, is critical for any tourist destination, and is one of Vallarta’s strongest assets. In the absence of a traditional industry the Vallartan society has embraced different trades to fulfill the requirements of its new condition. This flexibility is at the origins of its openness. Vallarta’s people accept other lifestyles and, as long as no lines are crossed, they are seldom shocked and lean towards tolerance and understanding.
Visitors from other countries delight in the way families stay together whether it is during a Sunday walk on the Malecón or while relishing a traditional pozole (hominy and pork soup) at a diner. Foreigners are fascinated by the noisy but moving manifestation of their devotion for the Virgin of Guadalupe; by their singing or beauty contests organized at the Los Arcos amphitheater; by their mariachis, trios and street performers that fill the streets with music.
Mexico boasts having a lot of what satisfies the imagination of world travelers. And while it is true that the pyramids and ball courts built by its native peoples, the baroque palaces of Colonial cities and the beaches of the Caribbean are strong assets, Puerto Vallarta has its own natural bounty and wonderful people to compete with.
