Presidential appeal: Mexico president Felipe Calderon spoke at Tianguis 2012. |
BY MARK CHESNUT
The Pope may have made headlines this week in Mexico, but as soon as he said goodbye to Mexico President Felipe Calderon, the Mexican head of state flew straight to Puerto Vallarta for another big event: Tianguis Turistico, Mexico’s annual tourism conference.
After more than three decades of meeting in Acapulco, Mexico’s first jet-set vacation destination, this year marks the first time that Tianguis is taking place somewhere else — namely, Puerto Vallarta, the popular Pacific coast Mexico resort. It’s the first in a new strategy that brings the conference to a different city every year.
The new approach is already paying off, according to President Calderon. “Today, we have the presence, for example, of exhibitors and buyers from more than 30 countries,” he told delegates on Tuesday at the Puerto Vallarta International Convention Center. “This represents a 30 percent increase over last year in the international sector.” In addition, overall attendee numbers grew from 4,000 last year to 7,000 this year.
Dressing the part: Traditional Jalisco clothing added extra flavor to the evening. |
Viva Vallarta
Melodious Mariachi music wafted over downtown Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday night, as the state of Jalisco kicked off a festive open-air party that made perfect use of the waterfront Malecón, which in November was made even more visitor-friendly as the adjacent street became a pedestrian-only thoroughfare.
On the waterfront: The Malecon in Puerto Vallarta served as a lovely venue for the Jalisco party. |
Performers wearing traditional Jalisco garb greeted Tianguis delegates, and drinks and snacks — as well as free hats — kept attendees in the spirit of the evening.
Music to our ears: Live Mariachi music was the entertainment at the Puerto Vallarta event. |
The event also was an ideal opportunity for Puerto Vallarta tourism officials to try out their brand-new logo, which had been unveiled the day before during a press conference at the Sheraton Buganvilias hotel. The new logo — a creative interpretation of the iconic seahorse sculpture that sits on the waterfront Malecón — is definitely more attention-getting than the former, flag-like design, with fresh colors incorporated into the new logo that represent various aspects of Puerto Vallarta, as indicated below:
New look: The new logo for the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board. |
For more information about Puerto Vallarta travel and vacations, check out www.visitpuertovallarta.com and also scroll through LatinFlyer’s Mexico travel posts.
MORE TRAVEL NEWS & TIPS
• Sunshine State: Orlando Hotels Mix Business With Pleasure (Orbitz Travel Blog)
• Check out the action. Subscribe to the LatinFlyer channel on Youtube!