Investment in Latin America's IT and telecoms sectors will grow by 5.7% and 6% respectively in 2015 for a total of US$347bn, according to consultancy IDC.

According to the consultancy, IT growth in 2015 will outpace the global average of 3.7% but will be below other emerging regions such as Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East and Africa.

Speaking during a webinar on Wednesday, IDC Latin America president Ricardo Villate said Brazil would grow at a moderate pace of 3.2% in IT due to the slowing economy, while Mexico would steam ahead with 6.3% growth.

Chile, Peru and Colombia are all expected to perform above the regional average.

IDC observed that SaaS will impact the enterprise hardware market, which will see only a 4% growth rate. IT services will grow 6.5%, while software will rack up an 11% rate.

The Brazilian magazine Via G has published another article that included the destination in addition to the results obtained from the initial negotiations between the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau and the South American publication, which specializes in the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transexual (LGBT) market.

The article in question is titled “The Best Destinations for Gay Honeymoons,” and is a listing of tourism destinations that include Mexico’s Pacific Treasure.

From the magazine: “Located on the coast of the Mexican Pacific, the Riviera Nayarit is already known to the North American and Canadian LGBT public. Many have a second home here to escape the rigors of the northern winters. Its charming blend of beaches and villages is made even more so thanks to the unpretentiousness and warmth of its people.”

It goes on to state: “The region is also famous for its grand luxury hotels and the highest number of 5 diamond hotels in Latin America. Many of these resorts already hold symbolic weddings for gay couples.”

Revista Via G is a bimonthly publication with 20 thousand copies distributed in restaurants, nightclubs, bars, hotels and art galleries; 99% of these issues are sold. Over two thousand subscribers receive their magazines at home; 87% of the readers fall into the A/B socioeconomic segments and are between the ages of 25 and 50.

Brazil has 9.4 million economically active people within the LGBT segment; together they generate an income of $3 billion USD a year. Over 70% earns a salary above the national mean, owns a computer with Internet access and has a valid passport for travel.

There’s no doubt the destination is right on the mark by courting this segment with its high purchasing power and desire for luxury and nature, a combination the Riviera Nayarit is well-prepared to offer.

http://revistaviag.com.br/saiba-quais-os-melhores-destinos-para-lua-de-mel-gay/

Since the Puerto Vallarta’s Convention and Visitors Bureau was restructured this past August, its new Executive Director, Miguel Andres Hernandez has been busy laying the ground work to ensure the destination’s future as a serious contender in the business travel industry.

An important element in the CVB’s work is trainings and presentation by renowned meeting planners and professional congress organizers. On November 13 of this year, the bureau hosted Miguel Harraca, President of the Convention and Visitors Bureaus of Latin America and the Caribbean in a presentation on strategic alliances.

From Nov. 25-27, the CVB partnered with SITE and other Mexican entities to do the first of a number of trainings aimed to make as many of the member of Puerto Vallarta tourism industry Certified Meetings Specialists. Over 20 members participated in the four-course class in Mexico City. Additional classes with PCMA and other associations are currently being scheduled for 2015.

The CVB has also started working on the development of its own certifications. Designed to create a service norm and standard across the city, it has partnered with local, state and federal institutions to train and certify local businesses. On December 5, the OCV started a certification program that is expected to train more than 2,500 taxi drivers in basic consumer relations, destination representation, language and others. Similar certification are being developed for other suppliers in the destination, including restaurants, hotels, tour operators, etc.

As part of its promotions and PR campaign, the CVB, the Puerto Vallarta International Convention Center, hotels and the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board have continued to promote the city’s infrastructure in numerous events throughout the year including AIBTM, IMEX and MPI’s WEC. Puerto Vallarta also becoming an MPI Preferred Partner in April.

The Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board, which will host the 2015 North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) 2015 Conference & Marketplace, has confirmed its activities and destination tours agenda for the conference. Designed to showcase the latest in the destination’s infrastructure and tourism offerings, the itinerary will also allow participants to experience the trend-setting adventure and cultural activities that have made the city an international destination and a source of continuous editorial stimulus.

The conference will take place from May 5 to 9, 2015 and is expected to bring over 100 travel industry leaders to Puerto Vallarta, including active journalists and editors from across Canada, the United States and Mexico. Representatives from international destinations and tourism leaders will also participate in the conference.

Industry sponsorship for the conference has been overwhelming with the destination’s top airlines, Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines as airline sponsors and Grupo Velas’ Velas Vallarta will be the host hotel.

The opening ceremony will be held at the old John Huston home, Las Caletas, with a especial performance of the destination’s iconic Vallarta Adventure’sRhythms of the Night. The 100% sustainable enterprise, Canopy River, will host the closing dinner with performances by the children’s Ballet Folkloric Xiutla and Mariachi Jalisco at their installations in the middle of the Sierra Madre.

Puerto Vallarta’s world-renown culinary scene, will be showcased throuought the conference with sunset cockatils and dinners at Casa Velas, Vista Grill, River Café, Café des Artistes, Trio, Maia and La Leche. Participants may also take cooking classes at El Arrayan or do a walking food tour of local community El Pitillal, with Vallarta Food Walking Tours.

Additional activities being offered to participants include a zip-lining and donkey-riding “River Expedition” with CANOPY RIVER, and education “Signatures Swim” with Dolphins at Dolphin Discovery, Mexico’s internationally awarded company for its reproduction efforts of sea mamals, horseback ride & swim at Hacienda Donna Engracia; experiencing Puerto Vallarta’s current trend – its beach clubs at Mantamar; praciting golf at the Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf 18-hole Vista Vallarta championship golf course; and ofcourse Puerto Vallarta’s luxurious spa’s, including the Marriott’s award winning Ohtli.

An additional day has been added to the conference to provide all participants with the opportuntiy to expereince Puerto Vallarta with full day tours to the city’s Botanical Garden, the protected areas of el Salado Estuary, the working ranch of Hacienda el Divisadero and the town of El Tuito or the local SPCA which has become a popular location for visiting families to volenteer as well as another family favortite, the Pirate Ship. Those looking to experience Puerto Vallarta’s beach side can explore some of the private beaches of the Bay of Banderas in a boat ride with Mike’s Fishing.

Post trips to the NATJA conference will include visits to the virgin beaches of Costalegre; the magical cities of Puerto Vallarta’s South; and the World Heritage site of the city of Tequila, Jalisco’s capital city of Guadalajara and others.

Register to participate at http://natja.org/conference/ and follow the conference at #NATJAPV15

Puerto Vallarta, one of Mexico’s leading resort destinations is set to record 2014 as one of the best years yet for its travel and tourism industry with ever growing numbers of travelers, new hotels and an increase in the overall number of hotel rooms, more flights, as well as additional cruise ship arrivals.

According to Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR), Puerto Vallarta registered an average 64.2% occupancy rate in the first nine months of 2014, a 6% increase over the same period last year. The number of rooms occupied for this period total 2,057,312, almost 70,000 more than in the same period in 2006, when Puerto Vallarta reported its highest number of room occupancy in the past 10 years with 1,987,782 rooms.

International arrivals registered at Puerto Vallarta hotels also increased by 5% from January to September 2014 over the same period last year.

Keeping up with Puerto Vallarta’s increasing numbers of visitors are the number of flights offered by different airlines to the destination. The overall number of flights (frequency) to PVR was up 23.87% in October 2014, over the same month in 2013; and up 22.6% in the month of October 2014, compared to September 2014. New direct routes from North America have also been launched this season including Alaska Airlines’ Portland, OR to Puerto Vallarta. Southwest Airlines has also just applied for DOT approval to serve Puerto Vallarta nonstop from Orange County’s John Wayne Airport.

Cruise ship arrivals are also up 43%. A total of 116 cruises will be calling at Puerto Vallarta this year, compared to 83 in 2013. A total of 141 cruises have already confirmed calls at Puerto Vallarta for 2015.

Some of thenew hotel developmentsin Puerto Vallarta include:

Early this year, two hotels oppenned in Puerto Vallarta - Hotel One, with 125 rooms & Holiday Inn Express, with 115 rooms – both conveniently located less than 10 minutes away from Puerto Vallarta’s a state-of-the-art International Convention Center, airport (PVR) and downtown. By the end of 2015 three other hotels will have opened, the Hyatt Ziva and Hotel Mousai in the Mismaloya area and the Altamar with 120 suites in the Romantic Zone. In addition, the Puerto Vallarta Fiesta Americana will be converting to an All-Inclusive in October.

This season will also mark the opening of new boutique properties in theZona Romántica, Piñata PV with six rooms in a corner of Puerto Vallarta thatblends Mexican & American modernism, industrial, and vintage design; Luna Líquida Boutique Hotel’s 5 villas offers an atmosphere of comfort and inspiration framed by a collection of handmade motives carefully selected by the proprietor and well-known musician and composer Fher Olvera, front man of the famous Mexican rock band Maná; Saphire Beach Club will be the newest beach club in Puerto Vallarta and will offer three luxury rooms right on the beach.

The Riviera Nayarit and Puerto Vallarta convention and visitors bureaus concluded their promotional activities in South America for 2014 by training 25 agents in Chile, Ecuador and Argentina.

This necessitated three separate FAM trips divided by country: 10 agents from Chile visited the region from November 22-25; 9 agents from Ecuador were here from December 1 – 3; and 6 agents from Argentina visited from December 6-12.

The groups performed site inspections in several hotels, as well as the requisite visits to the top attractions for tourists, including Sayulita, San Pancho and the Islas Marietas, to name but a few.

The objective of these trips was for the agents to experience for themselves the tourist attractions available in Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit so they can sell them more effectively and with greater assurance thanks to their first-hand knowledge.

“Promotion in South America has been a great success thanks to the strategic integration of the public relations, advertising and marketing segments. Several commercial alliances have been forged with these emerging markets and we’re certain to see a tangible return on investment very soon in the number of visitors to the destinations,” said Pamela Zepeda, Sales and Marketing Manager for the Riviera Nayarit CVB.

These efforts were a continuation of the Vallarta-Nayarit joint campaign spearheaded by the Mexico Tourism Board (MTB). South America is a potential market as it is seeking to experience more to Mexico than just the Caribbean.

The cross marketing campaign set in motion by the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) with Schick, Deezer and the Hard Rock Hotel was a resounding success. It was launched in August and to date has delivered over 5 million impressions via the domestic media.

The idea behind this public relations’ effort was to maximize the brands’ investments in order to generate ideas that would proactively and powerfully reach those audiences with the most compatible profiles.

The campaign began in August with the presentation of the rock band Coronel at the Hard Rock Hotel during a promotion titled “Libera tu Estilo con Schick en Riviera Nayarit” (Set Your Style Free With Schick In The Riviera Nayarit), which achieved a little under 4 million impressions on social media.

A press trip was held at the same time, which generated positive mentions and brand exposure with a younger market without neglecting the general vacation market.

The Excelsior, with an audience of 270 thousand people, Open magazine with 150 thousand readers and El Economista with 100 thousand were among the high-circulation traditional media that included mentions of the destination; this, added to the exposure garnered on the social media for each of the participating media as well as that of the brands themselves, generated impressive numbers.

Estilo DF, a free lifestyle and tourism weekly, which offered half a million impressions, plus iSOPixel, a tech, music and lifestyle blog with over 600 thousand impressions, were two of the other media that offered the most exposure.

A total of 75 publications ran the campaign over the first three months, which has definitely multiplied the initial investment, as the ROI currently hovers around $2.5 million Mexican pesos.

The reach obtained also benefits the businesses that sponsored the FAM trip. The CVB would like to thank Vallarta Adventures and Eva Mandarina for their cooperation. As is customary, the visitors toured some of the Riviera Nayarit’s Capitals including the hippie chic town of Sayulita; La Cruz de Huanacaxtle and its Marina Riviera Nayarit; plus the Nuevo Vallarta Fraccionamiento Náutico Turístico Residencial residential area.

Southwest Airlines announced via a press release last December 11th their application with the U.S. Department of Transportation requesting approval for flights from Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport to the Vallarta-Nayarit International Airport.

“Service to Mexico will be the cornerstone of our international operation at Hobby; the four cities we are announcing today (December 11th) provide exciting travel and business options for consumers,” stated Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines Chairman, President and CEO.

Southwest Airlines’ request intends for service to commence in October 2015. There are three additional destinations in Mexico included in the request besides the Vallarta-Nayarit region, as well as Belize and Costa Rica.

“These flights are practically a done deal,” said Marc Murphy, Managing Director of the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Thanks to the work done by the Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit joint campaign we are seeing a recovery in flights, seats and, consequently, in numbers of tourists to the region, all of which benefits everyone.”

Just a month ago this airline also announced flights from Santa Ana, California, to the Banderas Bay area beginning June 7, 2015. These results confirm the success of uniting the promotional efforts of Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit.

PayPal is working on a series of initiatives to help Latin Americans, particularly Brazilians, shop more abroad by overcoming high shipping costs, customs duties and fluctuating currency risks, Renato Pelissaro, marketing director for PayPal Latin America told BNamericas.

According to a recent PayPal study, 4% of Brazilians shop online exclusively abroad compared to 7% in Mexico.

The fact that most credit cards in Brazil are not authorized to make purchases outside the country is a major impediment.

To address that, PayPal and a local bank have developed an international prepaid card that can be used for making purchases abroad with PayPal.

The foreign exchange rate is locked at the time of purchase.

"That is much appreciated by consumers given the amount of currency appreciation and depreciation we've seen here in recent months," Pelissaro said.

Shipping related issues are also a concern, namely the time taken to receive the product and the additional cost of getting a product through customs, which in Brazil can be over 50% of the cost of the product.

"Buying clothes from China will be way cheaper than buying in Brazil but it can take three months to receive it because the Chinese will provide the cheapest option available," he said.

To address those issues PayPal is working with its parent company eBay - which it plans to spin off from next year - and others to set up a discount shipping program with a fixed fee allowing a given number of shipments within a 12 month period.

The company is also working with different merchants to put together packages of selected products with a discount shipping rate, exclusive for PayPal customers.

"In exchange for that we promote these merchants' products to our consumers. So it's a give and take relationship," Pelissaro said.

Dear Friends of Puerto Vallarta and Vallarta Shores

We still have some great choices available for the Christmas Holiday 

Book them now or they won't last ...

Gross fixed investment in Mexico rose 5.7 percent in September compared to the same month of 2013, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, or INEGI, said.

That increase was due to an 8.5 percent rise in spending on imported and domestically produced machinery and equipment and a 4.2 percent hike in construction spending, INEGI said in a statement Wednesday.

Gross fixed investment fell 0.43 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from August as a result of a 1.91 percent decrease in spending on machinery and equipment and a 0.32 percent rise in construction spending, the institute said.

For the January to September period, gross fixed investment climbed 1.1 percent compared to the first nine months of 2013, the result of a 0.5 percent decline in construction spending and a 3.7 percent increase in spending on machinery and construction.

The Mexican government is forecasting the nation's gross domestic product to expand by between 2.1 percent and 2.6 percent this year, up from 1.1 percent growth in 2013.

[readon1 url="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2014/12/11/mexico-gross-fixed-investment-up-57-pct-in-september/"]Source:latino.foxnews.com[/readon1]

The better taste of Puerto Vallarta on Wheels!

Truckaburger is the American dream of two lovers of Gourmet Food.

"Our passion for food lies in the diversity of flavors that food offers to meet the pleasure of tasting a delicious variety of food. So we decided to launch Truckaburger to share our versions of some recipes that we like, mainly American Sandwich recipes."

The Gourmet Hamburger is 100% Prime beef with cheese and bacon. Extras include egg, caramelized onion, bleu cheese, pastrami or mushrooms. You'll want to sample the Chicago Chilidog, the Kansas Pulled Pork Sandwich, the Beverly Fig Sandwich, the Italian Meatball Sandwich, and more with additional choices appearing frequently.

Accompany your meal with Chili Cheese Fries, Shakes, a Cherry Coke Float or Vanilla Root Beer Float. How about a Nutella Banana Cookie Pie for dessert?

The Truckaburger is a classic 1985 Chevy with a state-of-the-art stainless steel kitchen.

You will find the Truckaburger just outside Marina Vallarta on Blvd. Francisco Medina Ascencio km 7.5 - Plaza Neptuno in the Punta Iguana commercial strip.

Hours are Monday - Friday from 11:00 am until 11:00 pm. Weekend hours are 10:45 am until 5:00 pm.

Contact information for Truckaburger by email is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., telephone is (322) 209-1290 or visit Truckaburger online. Ask them about catering.

Great quality food at a reasonable price. Foodtrucks are the coolest thing!

[readon1 url="http://pvangels.com/news/3073/truckaburger-the-first-all-american-gourmet-foodtruck-in-puerto-vallarta"]Source:pvangels.com[/readon1]