PUERTO VALLARTA — A massive ball of flames engulfed an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, killing four people and sending terrified workers jumping into the sea.

State-run oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, said there was no evidence yet of a major oil spill following the blast, which injured 16 workers, two seriously, and forced the evacuation of 300.

Fleets of helicopters ferried workers with bandaged hands and faces, and burn marks on their overalls to the nearby city of Ciudad del Carmen, where crowds of concerned relatives of oil workers thronged outside hospitals.

A survivor of the blaze on the shallow-water Abkatun Permanente platform in the Campeche Sound said workers "jumped into the sea out of desperation and panic."

"There was nothing you could do but run," said Roger Arias Sanchez, an employee of Pemex contractor Cotemar who escaped the burning platform in an evacuation boat.

Eight firefighting boats were trying to extinguish the fire, said Pemex. Mexico's Energy Security Agency said the fire "is being extinguished."

On its Twitter account Wednesday afternoon, Pemex raised the death toll from one to four. Many of the injured appeared to be Cotemar employees.

Pemex's media office said it was unclear whether any significant amount of oil had spilled from the Abkatun Permanente platform, which largely serves to separate gas, oil and other petroleum products, and pump them to refineries onshore.

Previous spills from Mexican facilities had usually occurred at active offshore wells, not processing stations like Abkatun.

The Abkatun platform lies off the coast of the states of Campeche and Tabasco. It is further out to sea than the platform involved in the last severe fire in the area, the 2007 fire at the Kab 121 offshore rig.

That accident was caused by high waves that hit the rig, sending a boom crashing into an oil platform's valve assembly. The blaze killed at least 21 workers and the rig spilled crude and natural gas for almost two months.

Mexico's worst major spill in the Gulf was in June 1979, when an offshore drilling rig in Mexican waters — the Ixtoc I — blew up, releasing 140 million gallons of oil.

It took Pemex and a series of U.S. contractors nearly nine months to cap the well, and a great deal of the oil contaminated Mexican and U.S. waters.

The government plans additional spending cuts totaling 135 billion pesos ($8.84 billion), or 4.3 percent of the federal budget, in 2016, the Mexican Finance and Public Credit Secretariat said.

The proposed cuts are included in a preliminary budget report submitted to Congress by the secretariat that bases next year's revenues on an oil price of $55 per barrel, down $24 from the price used to set the 2015 federal budget.

The cuts will be "around half of what would have been necessary had spending not been reduced starting in early 2015," the secretariat said.

"It is also estimated that the adjustment will be lower by 360 billion pesos ($23.59 billion) than what would have been necessary if the 2013 finance reforms had not been approved," the secretariat said.

Officials began working in January to "re-engineer public spending from a zero-based budgeting perspective," the secretariat said.

The goal is to contain the spending growth that occurred in previous years, when oil prices were high, the secretariat said, adding that outlays rose at an average annual rate of 5.2 percent between 2000 and 2013, surging from 10.9 percent to 15.2 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP)

Mexico's economy grew by 2.1 percent in 2014, up from the 1.4 percent rate registered in the prior year but well below the official target of 3.9 percent

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - JULY 07: Actress Stephanie Sigman attends the premiere of FX's
"The Bridge" at Pacific Design Center on July 7, 2014 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images) (2014 GETTY IMAGES)

Puerto Vallarta, Jal.- Stephanie Sigman hopes her role as the first Mexican Bond girl in "Spectre," the latest film in the James Bond series, will open doors in Hollywood.

"I think there's going to be a big opening, I expect this project will open a higher, different door to another path," Sigman told Efe in Mexico City, where scenes are being shot for the latest 007 film.

Sigman said her role in 2011's "Miss Bala," in which she played a young woman whose dream of becoming a model is derailed by involvement in drug trafficking, opened "all the doors."

"I don't think I'd be here if it wasn't for that film. That's how you build, create, by working hard to continue opening other paths in other places, so I hope that, yes, many interesting things will come my way," Sigman said.

The 28-year-old actress said starring the Bond film was "one of those dream jobs."

"They ask me if I ever imagined it, and I have a very extensive imagination. So, I've imagined many things in life, but sometimes you don't think something is really going to happen and when it happens, it's very satisfying," the actress said.

Sigman plays Estrella and her scenes have already started to be shot.

Mexico is only featured during the first 10 minutes of the film, which also has scenes shot in London and Rome, but Sigman would not say whether her character is featured in the rest of the movie.

Location shooting for the 24th installment of the Bond series started earlier this month in Mexico City.

"Spectre" stars Daniel Craig, who is appearing in his fourth Bond film, and features Monica Bellucci, Lea Seydoux and Sigman as the latest Bond girls.

In the the film, Agent 007 will battle the Special Executive for Counter-Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion, or SPECTRE, and arch villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Austrian actor Christoph Waltz plays Blofeld, whose character first appears in Ian Fleming's "Thunderball" and has been featured in several Bond films.

Craig also starred as 007 in "Casino Royale," "Quantum of Solace" and "Skyfall."

PUERTO VALLARTA – Mexico has become the first developing nation to submit pollutant reduction goals for next fall's Paris climate change talks, pledging Friday to cut greenhouse gas and short-lived climate pollutants 25 percent by 2030.

Short-lived pollutants include "black carbon," essentially soot produced by burning wood, dung, coal and some diesel fuel, which Mexico plans to cut by half. Soot reductions would account for 3 percent of the overall 2030 target, while greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane would be cut 22 percent from 2103 levels.

Mexico's Environment Department said the country's total greenhouse emissions would peak and stop growing in absolute terms by 2026.

Activists and the U.S. government praised Mexico's announcement.

"While the devil is in the details, Mexico's plan to peak its emissions by 2026 is particularly encouraging and should inspire others to follow a similar course," wrote Jennifer Morgan, global director of the World Resources Institute's climate program.

Mexico acknowledged its pledge is "highly ambitious," like a promise to eliminate deforestation completely by 2030. Between 2005 and 2010, Mexico lost about 155,000 hectares (383,000 acres) of vegetation cover each year to deforestation.

Mexico also said its pledge for decreases could rise to as much as 40 percent of current emissions if broader international agreements are reached at the Nov. 30-Dec. 11 climate conference in Paris or subsequent rounds of talks.

Mexico said any additional emission cuts would be "subject to a global agreement addressing important topics including international carbon price, carbon border adjustments, technical cooperation, access to low cost financial resources and technology transfer."

Carbon price involves making polluters pay for their emissions and border adjustments are meant to ensure those carbon taxes are spread fairly. Developing countries like Mexico have also called for mitigation of climate change effects and low-cost financing and technology to help bring emissions down.

Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Jose Antonio Meade said, "This announcement makes Mexico the first emerging market and the first developing country to make a tentative pledge to the Paris Accord."

The White House said in a statement that Mexico and the United States will launch a "high-level bilateral clean energy and climate change policy task force" this spring. The joint U.S.-Mexico effort will focus on "clean energy, grid modernizations, appliance standards and energy efficiency" as well as more fuel-efficient vehicle fleets.

Mexico must cut emissions even as its economy and population are growing. The goal of a 25 percent reduction in absolute terms means a 40 percent reduction of emissions relative to its projected GDP in 2030.

Mexico, which represents only 1.4 percent of world greenhouse gas emissions, is among the more vulnerable nations if nothing is done, the government said.

"In the last 50 years, Mexico has experienced changes in temperature and mean precipitation," its pledge presentation said. "At the same time, Mexico has suffered an increased number of extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones, floods and droughts that have led to the loss of human lives as well as high social and economic costs."

Puerto Vallarta, Jal.- Aeromexico will offer nonstop flights between Sacramento and Mexico City beginning April 6.

The flights from Sacramento International Airport to Mexico City will occur on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, leaving at 1:10 a.m. Flights from Mexico City leave at 8:35 p.m. to Sacramento on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.

The new flights will be made using Boeing 737 aircraft, seating 132 passengers, including 12 in first class. The flights to Mexico City will allow for one-stop connections to Cancun, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas and San Jose in Costa Rica.

“We are very happy to get this entrée into Mexico City,” said Sacramento International Airport spokeswoman Laurie Slothower. “It is obviously easy access to the capital city of Mexico, but also plugs in our passengers to all kinds of important Latin American routes and, of course, the resort communities of Mexico.”

Aeromexico, located in Terminal B, began offering nonstop flights between Sacramento and Guadalajara in 2011. Passenger traffic on the Sacramento-Guadalajara route increased 48.2 percent between 2013 and 2014, according to airport officials.

“With the start of these new flights, we now offer service to 29 different routes from the United States to Mexico,” said Aeromexico’s chief revenue officer, Anko van der Werff

Spring holiday travel to Mexico is in full swing, with many destinations reporting record occupancy levels. Most visitors will head straight to the beach. But, this is also a key month for major cultural events throughout the country.

“Mexico is the ideal place to mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Not only is the weather warm and dry, there are several festivals celebrating the spring equinox. From children’s parades in towns to dramatic displays of sun and shadows at archeological sites there are plenty of ways to celebrate and appreciate the local customs,” Lynn Clark, vice president of travel agency engagement for Funjet Vacations, tells Travel Agent.

One local custom that’s garnered wide-spread acclaim is the Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine & Food Festival. The fourth annual event takes place later this week, attracting an international roster of top chefs, wine-makers and gastronomes.

"We are very excited to welcome some of the world's top names in gastronomy and wine to Cancun for the upcoming Festival," Alberto Gurrola, managing director, Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach Resort & Spa, tells Travel Agent.

"As a Platinum Host Resort, our guests will have a front row seat for all the action, as we are the venue for one of the festival's main events, the Star Chefs Dinner, which showcases the best cuisine from 25 chefs from Mexico and around the world. We are also hosting the festival’s Celebrity Conferences with legendary Spanish Chefs Joan Roca and Juan Mari Arzak, who will share their personal perspectives and also sign their books. For foodies, this week will be a very special experience,” said Gurrola.

Mexico is full of such special experiences this time of year. But clients need to venture out of their air-conditioned hotel rooms to find them.

“Mexico has some of the greatest properties you will find anywhere. But in some ways, a hotel is a hotel. It’s important to really know a destination and you can only do that by wandering around and taking part in local life and customs,” Lian Augustine, product manager, Mexico and Latin America for American Airlines Vacations / US Airways Vacations, tells Travel Agent.

Spring equinox celebrations are a unique aspect of those customs. If clients are in Mexico on the date of this year’s equinox (March 20) they’re in luck.

Festivals marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring take place throughout the country. In many locations, children parade about dressed as springtime flowers. And at key archaeological sites, crowds gather to observe rituals dating back to the Maya.

Among the most popular sites are Chichen Itza’s Kulkulkan Temple. Crowds gather to observe the illusion of light and shadow that creates a “snake” that slithers down the pyramid. The phenomenon also takes place during the autumnal equinox, thanks to the Maya’s astronomical and engineering prowess.

Teotihuacan, outside of Mexico City, is another gathering spot on the spring equinox. It’s believed to be a great source of energy on that day, attracting new-age devotees (dressed in white) by the thousands.

The following day, March 21, is a national holiday in Mexico honoring the revered president, Benito Juarez. And at the end of the month comes the most colorful celebratory period in Mexico.

Semana Santa, or Holy Week, precedes Easter Sunday, which is on April 5 this year. Semana Santa begins on Palm Sunday, March 29. It’s followed by a week of processions, pageants and passion plays of varying intensity throughout the country. Events are especially elaborate in colonial cities, such as Oaxaca and San Luis Potosi.

If clients happen to be in Mexico City during Holy Week, tell them about Iztapalapa. That’s a suburb to the south known for country’s largest passion play, the Via Crucis. The event blends together indigenous and European elements in what has become a folk-religious mega-event. In fact, UNESCO is considering it for a “human treasure” designation as part of its intangible cultural heritage program. A cultural festival takes place in conjunction with the Via Crucis. Booths, street vendors and even carnival rides all contribute to an unforgettable experience.

PUERTO VALLARTA - Toyota Motor 7203.T is finalizing plans for its first passenger car assembly plant in Mexico that could be approved by its board as early as next month, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.

The plant would make the popular Corolla compact sedan and begin production in 2019. Based on recent investments by rivals, including Volkswagen VOWG_p.DE, a new assembly plant would represent an investment of over $1 billion for Toyota.

A green light for the plant would signal an end to a 3-year expansion freeze imposed by the Japanese automaker's president Akio Toyoda, who has blamed aggressive expansion a decade ago for contributing to quality lapses and a 2009 recall crisis.

Toyoda last year asked planners scouting for a site in Mexico to hit 'pause' and review the rationale for the project, executives familiar with the matter said then. He urged executives to squeeze more production from existing factories.

Toyota is the last mass-market automaker without a major production hub in Mexico, which has lured car makers and suppliers through its low labor costs and tariff-free access to the United States, Toyota's largest single market. The Japanese firm has a plant in Mexico's Baja California that produces the Tacoma pickup truck, but it has no passenger car plant.

Last year, Mexican officials pitched half a dozen potential sites for a new plant, and Toyota executives have zeroed in on a site in the central state of Guanajuato, two people with knowledge of the deliberations said.

A delegation of Toyota executives recently spent a week in Guanajuato and remain in talks with local government officials over a potential plot of land that would give the automaker a big enough footprint to expand in the future, a source said.

"We are always evaluating our production capacity in Mexico, and in North America generally, to keep it in line with local market demand, but no such decision has been made at this time," Toyota spokesman Itsuki Kurosu told Reuters.

An official at Mexico's economy ministry had no immediate comment on Toyota's plans in the country. A spokesman for Guanajuato's economic development department declined to comment.

MEXICAN WAVE

The Mexico plant would produce a new generation of the Corolla, which will also be made at a factory in Japan, people with knowledge of the company's plans said.

Toyota said it sold close to 340,000 Corollas last year in the United States alone.

Mazda Motor 7261.T opened an assembly plant in Guanajuato early last year, which will also produce vehicles for Toyota under an agreement between the automakers. In June last year, Daimler DAIGn.DE and Nissan Motor 7201.T announced plans to build a new small car joint-venture plant in Mexico at a cost of $1.4 billion.

The wave of new investment by automakers has brought hundreds of Japanese auto parts suppliers to Mexico over the past few years. Auto production in Mexico doubled to more than 3 million vehicles a year in the five years to 2014.

Toyota's Corolla plant in Blue Springs, Mississippi, which opened in 2011, was the automaker's most recent assembly plant to come on line in North America.

With production capacity in Mexico, Japanese automakers avoid the risk of a stronger yen JPY= cutting into profits on exports and minimize the risk of a disruption to sales from events like the labor dispute that slowed trade through the U.S. West Coast earlier this year.

(Additional reporting by Chang-Ran Kim, Norihiko Shirouzu and Luis Rojas; Writing by Kevin Krolicki; Editing by William Mallard and Ian Geoghegan)

PUERTO VALLARTA – A moderate 5.3-magnitude earthquake shook central Mexico on Friday, causing buildings to sway in the capital and sending hundreds of people into the streets. There were no reports of damage or casualties.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at 4:30 p.m. local time in the state of Puebla near Tulcingo del Valle, a town in a sparsely populated area about 100 miles southeast of Mexico City. It had a depth of 31 miles.

The Puebla state press office said no injuries or serious damage was reported.

Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said many evacuations were reported in the capital but officials received no reports of damage or injuries.

The city is vulnerable to distant earthquakes because much of it sits atop the muddy sediments of drained lake beds. They jiggle like jelly when quake waves hit.

A magnitude-8.1 quake in 1985 that killed at least 6,000 people and destroyed many buildings in Mexico City was centered 250 miles away on the Pacific Coast.

Brutal winter with record snows brings snowbirds down south

Puerto Vallarta Jal. — A frigid winter in the United States is creating a record tourism season in Mexico as travelers enriched by savings from cheap gas and stronger dollars seek warmer climes.

Among the top beneficiaries of the winter migration are airlines Volaris and Grupo Aeromexico, the first and fifth best stock performers respectively among more than 100 large companies trading in Mexico as of March 6.

Puerto Vallarta, Jal.- This season is shaping up to be the most robust for Mexico tourism, the country’s fourth-largest source of foreign cash and a bright spot in an economy dragged down by low oil prices and production. December revenue from tourists was the highest for any Christmas, according to central bank data, and foreign visits in January rose from last year’s highs with a boost from U.S. travelers.

“I’m looking forward to not putting on 12 layers before I go outside,” said Morgan Thompson, 25, a marketing and communications manager at a furniture company in New York, who recently booked an Aeromexico flight to a beach town in Mexico. “I’ve never seen so much snow in my life.”

Last month was the coldest February on record at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Chicago tied its coldest February ever, the National Weather Service said. Boston had its sixth-snowiest January, followed by its snowiest and second-coldest February.

The weather triggered an exodus south. In January, foreign visits to Mexico rose 8.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the National Immigration Institute in Mexico City. It was the biggest month for visitors of any January since 2007, according to the Interior Ministry. Travel from the U.S. alone increased 11 percent in the same month.

“The weather in the north has been more extreme than in the past years,” said Jose Maria Flores, an analyst at Casa de Bolsa Ve Por Mas in Mexico City. “That propels people to travel more during this time of year, and they’re inclined to seek out the heat of Mexico’s beaches.”

A weakening peso is also an incentive for crossing the border. The peso fell to a record Tuesday amid speculation that U.S. interest rates will increase.

Volaris, whose only foreign flights are to and from the United States, saw international traffic rise 18 percent in February, more than the 17 percent it grew a year earlier.

Aeromexico’s international passenger traffic rose 13 percent in February. The carrier flies direct from New York to Cancún and offers flights from Boston and Chicago to Cancún, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. Volaris flies from Chicago and Portland to Cancún and Mexico City.

“Of course” the severe — usually a hindrance — winter is helping attract tourists, Aeromexico Chief Executive Officer Andres Conesa said in an interview last week. And with the peso’s 13 percent decline since November to near 15 per dollar “it makes more sense to travel to Mexico.”

Volaris has risen 27 percent this year and Aeromexico gained 21 percent. The Mexican benchmark IPC index is virtually unchanged in that period.

Volaris CEO Enrique Beltranena said it was difficult to determine if weather was helping the airline.

In February, passenger traffic from abroad rose more than 10 percent at Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte and Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, which serve resort destinations including Acapulco and ú. Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which serves Pacific beach destinations, reported international traffic rose 6 percent in January, the latest period for which statistics are available.

None of the airport operators returned requests for comment. According to its website, Aeroportuario del Sureste had the highest international traffic in both January and February that those months have ever recorded since 2000.

“Weather in the U.S. could be a relevant factor that along with the strength of the dollar is making Mexico a more attractive tourist destination,” said Javier Romo, an analyst at Signum Research.

Plunging oil prices may also help frozen northerners pay for their escape from the cold. Crude prices have fallen about 50 percent since June, reducing costs at the gas pump and for some fares.

“I missed two weeks of hell and now I’m back again,” Alex Nunez, an artist from Manhattan, said in a telephone interview after her recent trip to Mexico City. “I was planning on going to a wedding and wasn’t sure. Then the price dropped so much that I had to get the ticket, and the weather really helped” clinch the decision.

Puerto Vallarta, Jal.- Guadalajara has been selected as the site for Tianguis Turistico 2016, winning out over Merida, Leon and Cancun. In the end, the Tianguis selection committee assessed four proposals, according to Claudia Ruiz Massieu, Mexico’s secretary of tourism. In all, she said destinations that came under consideration included cities in the states of Queretaro, Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Yucatan and Quintana Roo.

Ruiz said Guadalajara was selected because of its strong air connectivity, generous hotel capacity and excellent meetings and exhibition space.
“The tourism sector in Mexico is united and steadfast in its commitment to further strengthen the industry as one of the main engines to transform the country,” she said.

For its part, Merida fought hard for the opportunity to host Tianguis 2016 in a proposal that outlined why Yucatan was a worthy contender. “Yucatan has extensive historical, cultural and gastronomic offerings, thanks to its modern infrastructure,” said Saul Ancona Salazar, Yucatan’s secretary of tourism.

The announcement of Guadalajara as the site for the 41st annual Tianguis Turistico comes just as the 2015 edition, which runs from March 23 to 26, returns to Acapulco for the first time since 2011.

The destination had hosted the conference for 36 years until it was moved to Puerto Vallarta, Puebla and Cancun, respectively.
Approximately $20 million has been invested in Acapulco’s infrastructure in preparation for Tianguis, including renovation projects in the city’s downtown and the Traditional Zone.

“Tianguis is an important platform to develop partnerships, generate awareness about the destination, and showcase our unique tourism offerings,” said Sergio Salmeron, secretary of tourism for Guerrero, the state where Acapulco is located. “It is an important event for the commercial development of Guerrero, in which tourism is a major source of revenue.”

Puerto Vallarta, Jal.- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, S.A.B. de C.V. PAC, +2.21% (bmv:GAP) (“the Company” or “GAP”) announces that Miguel Aliaga Gargollo, GAP’s current Institutional and Public Relations Officer, has presented his resignation, effective April 13, 2015, in order to pursue another professional endeavor.

Since joining GAP in May 2006, Mr. Aliaga has performed investor relations and public relations activities for GAP. During this time, Mr. Aliaga has helped increase the Company’s visibility in the domestic and international investment communities, developed communication and relationship strategies in the geographic areas of each of GAP’s airports, and supported the establishment of the GAP Foundation.

Investor relations functions will be assumed by the Company’s CEO until further notice. Public relations functions will be assumed by GAP’s current Institutional Relations Manager, Luis Fernando Huerta.

Fernando Bosque, GAP’s CEO, commented: “We thank Miguel for his contributions to the Company. Undoubtedly, his professionalism and performance throughout these years has enabled us to elevate GAP’s image and create visibility at the highest levels.”

Company Description:

Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, S.A.B. de C.V. (GAP) operates 12 airports throughout Mexico’s Pacific region, including the major cities of Guadalajara and Tijuana, the four tourist destinations of Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, La Paz and Manzanillo, and six other mid-sized cities: Hermosillo, Guanajuato, Morelia, Aguascalientes, Mexicali and Los Mochis. In February 2006, GAP’s shares were listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “PAC” and on the Mexican Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “GAP”.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts, and are based on management’s current view and estimates of future economic circumstances, industry conditions, company performance and financial results. The words “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “plans” and similar expressions, as they relate to the company, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Statements regarding the declaration or payment of dividends, the implementation of principal operating and financing strategies and capital expenditure plans, the direction of future operations and the factors or trends affecting financial conditions, liquidity or results of operations are examples of forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the current views of management and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. There is no guarantee that the expected events, trends or results will actually occur. The statements are based on many assumptions and factors, including general economic and market conditions, industry conditions, and operating factors. Any changes in such assumptions or factors could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

In accordance with Section 806 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and article 42 of the “Ley del Mercado de Valores”, GAP has implemented a “whistleblower” program, which allows complainants to anonymously and confidentially report suspected activities that may involve criminal conduct or violations. The telephone number in Mexico, facilitated by a third party that is in charge of collecting these complaints, is 01-800-563-0047. The web site is http://www.lineadenuncia.org/gap. GAP’s Audit Committee will be notified of all complaints for immediate investigation.
For more information please visit www.aeropuertosgap.com.mx.
Follow us: http://twitter.com/aeropuertosGAP

Contacts
In Mexico
Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, S.A.B. de C.V.
Luis Fernando Huerta, 52 (33) 38801100
Institutional Relations Officer
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
or
In the U.S.
i-advize Corporate Communications
Maria Barona/Juan Carlos Gomez Stolk, 212-406-3691 / 646-462-4517
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Puerto VAllarta, Jal.- Mexico’s largest annual travel trade show, Tianguis Turistico, returns to Acapulco March 23 to 26.
The event originated and spent its first 36 years in Acapulco but has been more of a touring show of late, taking place in Puerto Vallarta/Riviera Nayarit in 2012, Puebla in 2013 and Cancun last year.

Venue for Tianguis’ business events is the Mundo Imperial complex in Acapulco’s Diamante zone, a short drive from the airport.
Officials in the Pacific coast city are welcoming Tianguis back with open arms and say that attendees will be returning to a different Acapulco than the one they saw in 2011.

Pedro Haces, president of the Acapulco Destination Marketing Office, outlined a number of recent initiatives covering security, image perception, tourist zone renovations and beach upgrades that highlight the resort city’s progress on several fronts.

“To provide our visitors with peace of mind during their travels, Acapulco is renovating its Tourist Assistance and Protection Center (Capta, in Spanish),” Haces said.
“With the support of the Mexico Tourism Board, the office will be accessible to visitors and a place they can obtain information, report any incidents and receive assistance,” he said.

The government also has new training programs in place for the state police as well as the Gendarmerie, the federal police force.

Acapulco’s Advisory Council is an initiative formed in 2012 comprising private investors, including Mexican billionaire telecom tycoon Carlos Slim and Mexican hotel company Grupo Posada, to restore and revitalize Acapulco’s Traditional (tourist) zone.

“Efforts include upgrades to the Caleta and Caletilla tourist beach areas and the traditional zocalo (public market area) as well as the new Acabus urban transit service and the macrotunnel project, which connects the Diamante hotel zone and the Traditional zone,” Haces said.

Grupo Posada is investing in the new 350-room Fiesta Americana Grand, which opens at the end of 2016. Acapulco currently has 18,000 hotel rooms, according to Haces.
During Tianguis, social events will include outdoor receptions, tours and excursions to highlight attractions and boat trips around the harbor area.

“We are constantly working to showcase Acapulco’s diversified offerings to cultivate a fresh and innovative image for the destination,” Haces said.