Hundreds of thousands of impacts that will help position the destination in Canada were obtained via publications in both English and French within the past few months, a product of the promotional and public relations efforts put forth by the Riviera Nayarit CVB.

One of the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau’s main objectives is to maintain and improve the brand’s positioning within Canada, as this is not only one of the natural markets for the region but it’s also one of the fastest growing market so far this year.

There have been articles published in several media with an extensive reach both in English and French in the recent past, adding up to nearly a million impacts within in the short time span between September and October.

One of the best examples is the recent article published by the Vancouver Sun, one of the most important media in Canada, with a circulation of some 470 thousand impressions, and that’s not counting the hundreds of thousands of visitors to their website.

The article, written by Irene Thomas, originated from her visit to the area hosted by the Riviera Nayarit CVB earlier this year. The article was titled: “Get to Know Nayarit.”

The last PR tour through Toronto, which included the presence of Chef Betty Vázquez, has already begun to bear fruit: media such as Everything Zoomer, Pax News and Travel Industry Today have dedicated space to the Riviera Nayarit’s cuisine.

There are other articles that have been published by media wanting to jump on the information train and the Riviera Nayarit has become the topic du jour. This was the case with Trip Central, which published a piece on “Things to do in the Riviera Nayarit” for its more than 50 thousand followers.

Finally, thanks to the Toronto and Montreal Visits by the Vallarta-Nayarit joint promotional tour, several French-language media have also published articles on the destination, including Tourisme Plus, Jaimon Voyage and Pax Nouvelles, just to mention a few.

Click below to read what Canada has to say about the Riviera Nayarit:
Vancouver Sun Travel
Pax News
Travel Industry Today
Everything Zoomer
Trip Central .
Touris Plus
Pax Nouvelles
Jaimon Voyage

Hotels, DMC Association and Convention Center Promote Meetings Offerings in the Destination

Puerto Vallarta exhibited at this year’s IMEX America with a delegation headed by Miguel Andres Hernandez, Executive Director of the Puerto Vallarta CVB, as well as representatives from Crown Paradise, Hilton Puerto Vallarta Resort, Melia, Sheraton Buganvilias, Fiesta Americana, Velas Vallarta, Westin Puerto Vallarta in addition to Puerto Vallarta’s DMC Association and the Puerto Vallarta International Convention Center.

As an MPI Preferred Partner, Puerto Vallarta worked with the leading meetings association on a survey of the destination and its meetings offerings with hosted buyers during Smart Monday and hosted a breakfast for almost 100 hosted buyers on Thursday morning.

Puerto Vallarta has become one of Mexico’s leading meetings destinations because of its proximity to key markets in Mexico, the US and Canada. Led by its convention center, the destination has over 20 state-of-the-art meetings spaces in addition to alternative indoor and outdoor venues in the Sierra Madre jungles or by the Bay of Banderas that can handle meetings with up to 1,500 participants, conferences and incentive programs.

A unique meetings destination in Mexico, this world-class international leisure destination, is located on the skirts of the Sierra Madre mountain range and the second largest bay in the Americas, the Bay of Banderas. With almost a 100 years of existence, the city is enriched by Mexican heritage, colonial architecture, internationally recognized DMCs.

International meetings held in Puerto Vallarta can benefit from Mexico’s Zero VAT tax credit on certain meeting expenses and attendees may receive a tax refund on their shopping costs with MoneyBack services.

The Puerto Vallarta delegation held almost 100 one-on-one meetings with planners from the US, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Spain, Guatemala Mexico, and Nigeria in the Mexico Tourism Board’s Booth in the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas.

In addition, as part of the Vallarta-Nayarit initiative, the region met with over 20 meetings planners and association representatives.

Additional information on Puerto Vallarta is available at www.visitpuertovallarta.com

Local legislators unanimously approved an initiative which creates a law to regulate the activities of real estate agents in Baja California.

The object of the law regulating the activities of real estate companies, is to prevent the frauds and abuses in the sector, as well as to eradicate practices such as selling the same property to several people, including, without being the legal owner of the real estate and it looks to eradicate the sale of protected areas and other bad practices which also prejudice our society.

The legislation creates a State agency which will regulate real estate agents in Baja California.

It makes the Secretary of Economic Development (SEDECO) as the executive in charge of applying the law, and will require that professional real estate agents get a license issued by SEDECO.

The law also establishes a Catalog of Penalties for violations of the law, and also regulations and procedures to apply the penalties. It conceives of a system of complaints and reports for users, operated by SEDECO, with respect to persons who perform as real estate agents, without being one.

The law has a rule to regulate foreigners who come to Baja California to carry out real estate activities, and who in many cases have no authorization to do so.

http://www.ensenada.net/noticias/nota.php?id=37008

MEXICO CITY – Security forces in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas have recovered more than 420,000 liters (110,960 gallons) of diesel stolen from state-owned oil company Petroleos Mexicanos’ pipelines, authorities said.

The Tamaulipas Coordination Group, made up of state and federal security forces, said in a statement that the fuel was recovered in three separate operations.

The first occurred on Sept. 25 in the town of Altamira, where authorities seized four tanker trucks used to store the stolen fuel and a tractor-trailer and arrested one suspect.

A day later, a second operation on the Tampico-El Mante highway led to the arrest of the driver of a tractor-trailer that was towing a tanker truck containing 30,000 liters of diesel stolen from a Pemex pipeline.

The most recent operation occurred on Oct. 4 at a residence in the town of Madero, where authorities seized 396,375 liters of stolen diesel, 13 tanker trucks and two cargo trucks.

Pemex says fuel theft results in financial losses totaling some $5 billion annually.

Theft of fuel from Pemex pipelines, known in Mexico as “milking,” is common, with both individuals and gangs involved in the illegal activity.

A total of 2,523 fuel theft cases were registered in 2013, according to the state-owned oil company.

The federal government deployed additional security forces units in Tamaulipas earlier this year and purged law enforcement agencies in an effort to stop a surge in drug-related violence in that northeastern state.

Fuel theft via illegal pipeline taps is also common in the Mexican states of Sinaloa, Jalisco, Sonora, Veracruz and Puebla.

[readon1 url="http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2355595&CategoryId=14091"]Source:www.laht.com[/readon1]

As with most new laws in Mexico, they can often get modified after they are announced and everyone has the opportunity to review them. We are very happy that the latest fiscal reform that went into effect on September 1st, 2014 has been modified, or at least adjusted for Buyers and Sellers.

We recently published information about the new fiscal reforms that went into effect regarding the need for all Buyers and Sellers to have an RFC and a CURP in order to use your purchase price for tax purposes in the sale of a new property. We have some very good news about a change to this information that will make life much easier for both Buyers and Sellers. If anyone would like the official version of the modifications to the reform I can send you a copy that SAT (Hacienda Mexican IRS) has prepared.

Following are the 2 important changes in the form of a Question and an Answer directly from SAT.

Questions and answers about the use of complement referred in Rule 1.2.7.1.25 of the Resolution for Fiscal Miscellaneous for 2014:

Question: If the Buyer and Seller does not have an RFC, is it allowed to use a “Generic” RFC?

Answer: As far as foreigner(s) participating as buyer(s) and seller(s) in a real estate transaction, who are resident(s) abroad (not Mexican Residents) and they are not registered before SAT with an RFC, it is allowed to use a “Generic” RFC referred in rule 1.2.7.1.5.

This means that the notary handling the transaction can use a generic RFC or taxpayer ID number for the Buyer’s and Seller’s reporting to SAT and there is no need to get one. This applies only to residents of a foreign country and not those who reside in Mexico.

Question: Regarding real estate transactions, for purposes of issuing the Notary’s Complementary Form when there is no CURP, as is the case with foreigner(s) who are resident(s) abroad. "How shall the information of a CURP be filled out in the Complementary Form (The Notary’s Reporting Form to SAT of a sale)?"

Answer: If there is no CURP it will be allowed to use the following “Generic” CURP according to the case: XEXX010101HNEXXXA4 (if buyer or seller is a man); XEXX010101MNEXXXA8 (if buyer or seller is a woman).

This means that you do not have to have a Temporary or Permanent Resident Visa to get your CURP at the time you purchase your home. Note: If you are a Seller and want to qualify for any kind of Capital Gains Exemption you will need to have both an RFC and a CURP as has been the case for some time now.

I’m sure some of you may have questions about this as it looks confusing so do not hesitate to contact your Timothy Real Estate Group professional with any questions you may have. The good news is that it is not mandatory to have an RFC and CURP to purchase or sell a property unless the Seller wants to exempt Capital Gains tax.

Timothy Real Estate Group – An innovative company setting new standards in Real Estate sales and services has the most professional and experienced Realtors in the Puerto Vallarta area who understand the intricacies of Mexican Real Estate ownership, the local market, Puerto Vallarta property codes and regulations and financing. The Timothy Group uses that knowledge to provide a sound analysis on every aspect of property ownership. Timothy Real Estate Group is known for professionalism and experience and they bring this to every transaction they work on for the benefit of Real Estate investors and developers alike.

[readon1 url="http://pvangels.com/news/2897/good-news-for-buyers-and-sellers-of-real-estate-in-puerto-vallarta"]Source:pvangels.com[/readon1]

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico –Puerto Vallarta’s Medical Tourism is booming, especially since now, surgeries are being performed, at the same price if not lower than those same surgeries being performed in the border towns of Mexico.

Puerto Vallarta has so much to offer patients looking for medical tourism. With over 5 major state of the art hospitals, and teams of doctors performing surgeries on patients travelling from all over the world, Mexico has decided to develop Puerto Vallarta into its Medical Tourism destination.

Patients for years have been travelling to the border to have Gastric Sleeve Surgery, Plastic Surgery or Dental work done because the prices have been much less than in the USA or Canada. Now Puerto Vallarta has one doctor, Dr. Juan Francisco Hidalgo and his medical practice Weight Loss Team http://www.weightlossteam.com (http://www.weightlossteam.com) offering the gastric sleeve surgery for $4500us. This amount is the same if not lower than many doctors in the border towns.

Dental work in Puerto Vallarta also can be found for up to 75% off the prices found in the USA or Canada.

Puerto Vallarta is a fine destination for plastic surgery as well, as typically the prices are 60% lower than those in the USA or Canada and the patient ends up enjoying a 2 week vacation taking in the wonderful sights of Puerto Vallarta, like Los Arcos, or Las Islas Marietas, or just relaxing on one of Puerto Vallarta’s beautiful beaches while recovering from their procedure.

Nothing helps a healthy recovery better than a beautiful sunset with a pirate ship in the background. The infrastructure in Puerto Vallarta has been adapted for medical tourism.

The great hospitals exist because of the number of surgeries performed each year.

CMQ Premiere, Medica Ebor Hospital, San Javier Hospital, Medasist Hospital and Amerimed Hospital are leading the way in providing great care for a large number of patients seeking bariatric surgery, plastic surgery, dental work, and even arthroscopic procedures including hip and knee replacements.

The doctors are very well trained, most have studied or trained in the USA or abroad, and some have even trained US doctors. The hotels in Puerto Vallarta are sitting on the strand of beaches in the Bay of Banderas.

These 4 and 5 star hotels help provide a relaxing environment for the patients recovery. A typical medical tourism trip involves the patient flying directly into the Puerto Vallarta International Airport, and being welcomed by a driver who then takes the patient to the beach resort the day before surgery.

The next day the patient typically has the tests done, and sometimes surgery is performed that very day.

Once released from the hospital, the patient typically will go back to the beach resort for a recovery period taking in the sounds of the ocean, the breeze and the wonderful sunsets… Once cleared and released the patient will then go home. The City of Puerto Vallarta makes the medical tourism vacation a safe and pleasant experience.

Puerto Vallarta is known as the friendliest city in the world, and together, the doctors, hospitals and hotels make Puerto Vallarta the ideal choice for a medical tourism vacation.

[readon1 url="http://pubmemo.com/i/other-tidbits/more-tidings/2014/puerto-vallartas-medical-tourism-is-booming_1730170.html"]Source:pubmemo.com[/readon1]

The Greater Rockford Airport Authority, along with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, will break ground on the MRO hangar facility at noon Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Chicago Rockford International Airport, 6100 Cessna Drive, Rockford.

The 200,000 square-foot MRO facility is expected to operate 24 hours a day and will service next-generation, wide-body aircraft. This will allow for scheduled and unscheduled service, modification and overhaul and all other support services for military and commercial aircraft.

The Chicago Rockford International Airport is served by two airlines: Allegiant and Apple Vacations. The airport serves eight non-stop destinations including Cancun, Ft. Myers, Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana and Tampa Bay. It was named the 2013 Primary Airport of the Year by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Join us to celebrate our Spook-tacular Halloween annual party at American School of Puerto Vallarta.

From fall 2014 through spring 2015, Holland America Line heads to the tropics of Hawaii and explores the spirit of Mexico with a variety of itineraries ranging in length from seven to 18 days. Two ships will sail the azure waters of Mexico, while ms Veendam weaves among the stunning Hawaiian Islands.

"Holland America Line carefully crafts our itineraries to showcase the best of each region, and the Mexico and Hawaii itineraries are the ultimate journey for any traveler looking to visit these destinations," said Richard Meadows, Holland America Line's executive vice president of sales, marketing and guest programs. "From our onboard enrichment programming to the selection of ports, guests cruising on one of our elegant mid-size ships will have the most immersive and memorable experience possible."

The line's cruises to Mexico on ms Veendam and ms Statendam from October 2014 through March 2015 visit some of the most beautiful ports in the country and conveniently sail roundtrip San Diego, Calif. Veendam sails seven-day Mexican Riviera itineraries to Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan, with scenic cruising in Bahia Magdalena. Statendam offers a 12-day Sea of Cortez adventure that highlights six Mexican ports and an overnight at Puerto Vallarta.

The five sailings to Hawaii in winter and spring 2014-15 aboard ms Veendam feature relaxing days at sea and calls at five Hawaiian ports. These 17- and 18-day itineraries also sail roundtrip from San Diego. Select back-to-back Veendam itineraries in November and December can be combined to form the ultimate 24- or 25-day Mexico and Hawaii Collectors' Voyage.

Go "On Location" in Mexico and Hawaii
During the longer sailings with more sea days, guests can enjoy all of the onboard experiences that are exclusive to the premium cruise line. On each of these cruises guests will get to take part in cultural activities such as lei making, ukulele lessons, live mariachi band concerts and an extensive lecture lineup as part of Holland America Line's "On Location" program. The itinerary sets the theme for guests to indulge in localized experiences that make time onboard as enriching as visiting the ports of call through lectures, demonstrations and performances.

[readon1 url="http://www.traveldailynews.com/news/article/62743/three-holland-america-line-s-ships"]Source:www.traveldailynews.com[/readon1]

Bedsonline, the wholesaler tour-operator, brought its ninth consecutive annual FAM trip once again, making this year’s trip the first to include agencies from around the country.

From October 2nd through the 5th, a group of 100 domestic travel agents participated in several site inspections in the Riviera Nayarit and Puerto Vallarta as part of a FAM trip brought to the destinations by Bedsonline, which has been hosting it for nine consecutive years.

Bedsonline is on online wholesaler tour-operator for travel agents, and is considered the largest retail platform in Mexico with four thousand agencies to its name; the Riviera Nayarit is the destination that generates the most sales. The wholesaler is part of the worldwide TUI Travel PLC group.

This is the first time the travel agent FAM trip includes agents from other states, having been previously the jurisdiction of agents from the Bajío region. This time, the top-selling retailers from Puebla, Mexico City, Guadalajara, San Luis Potosí, Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Monterrey, Tijuana and Querétaro were invited.

The inspections took place in Paradise Village, Rancho Banderas, Grupo Buenaventura and Grupo Velas Resorts; the group stayed at the Grupo Marival, Riu Jalisco and Paradise Village.

The VP of Velas Resorts, Juan Vela, noted that it’s always a good thing to keep agents updated in order to refresh their perspective on the region, but the most important point is to have a commercial partner such as Bedsonline, as it promotes on an international level.

He also added that this wholesale operator holds an event that includes all of Latin America, where it exhibits its product before more than 500 travel agents. Both the Riviera Nayarit and Puerto Vallarta have South America in their sights, so hosting the event will truly be right on target.

Vela acknowledged the keen interest in this market, which has shown an marked but gradual response as the area awaits the connectivity needed to spark the arrival of tourism from the southern cone.

He ended his speech by highlighting the importance of all the FAM trips that have taken place recently, something that has been accomplished thanks to the synergy of the different sectors.

From fall 2014 through spring 2015, Holland America Line heads to the tropics of Hawaii and explores the spirit of Mexico with a variety of itineraries ranging in length from seven to 18 days. Two ships will sail the azure waters of Mexico, while ms Veendam weaves among the stunning Hawaiian Islands.

“Holland America Line carefully crafts our itineraries to showcase the best of each region, and the Mexico and Hawaii itineraries are the ultimate journey for any traveler looking to visit these destinations,” said Richard Meadows, Holland America Line’s executive vice president of sales, marketing and guest programs. “From our onboard enrichment programming to the selection of ports, guests cruising on one of our elegant mid-size ships will have the most immersive and memorable experience possible.”

The line’s cruises to Mexico on ms Veendam and ms Statendam from October 2014 through March 2015 visit some of the most beautiful ports in the country and conveniently sail roundtrip San Diego, Calif. Veendam sails seven-day Mexican Riviera itineraries to Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan, with scenic cruising in Bahia Magdalena. Statendam offers a 12-day Sea of Cortez adventure that highlights six Mexican ports and an overnight at Puerto Vallarta.

The five sailings to Hawaii in winter and spring 2014-15 aboard ms Veendam feature relaxing days at sea and calls at five Hawaiian ports. These 17- and 18-day itineraries also sail roundtrip from San Diego. Select back-to-back Veendam itineraries in November and December can be combined to form the ultimate 24- or 25-day Mexico and Hawaii Collectors’ Voyage.

Go “On Location” in Mexico and Hawaii

During the longer sailings with more sea days, guests can enjoy all of the onboard experiences that are exclusive to the premium cruise line. On each of these cruises guests will get to take part in cultural activities such as lei making, ukulele lessons, live mariachi band concerts and an extensive lecture lineup as part of Holland America Line’s “On Location” program. The itinerary sets the theme for guests to indulge in localized experiences that make time onboard as enriching as visiting the ports of call through lectures, demonstrations and performances.

[readon1 url="http://www.marinelink.com/news/experience-america378738.aspx"]Source:www.marinelink.com[/readon1]

Recovery efforts are well underway in Los Cabos following Hurricane Odile. The Los Cabos International Airport is on schedule to reopen as early as October 8 to commercial flights. While many hotels in the area are closed to new reservations, they have plans to reopen within the next couple of months. Government officials have relocated their bases to Los Cabos to oversee recovery efforts.

Meanwhile, we reached out to several tour operators and travel agents to find out where they would recommend sending clients who either had travel booked to Los Cabos in the near future, or were considering a vacation there. Overwhelmingly the answer points travelers south toward Puerto Vallarta.

"The majority of U.S. travelers headed to Los Cabos are from California," says Hope Smith, owner of Born To Travel. "California travelers are going to think about where they can get to in Mexico that is as convenient as Los Cabos. I would say the next best would be Puerto Vallarta. The beauty of Puerto Vallarta is that you have an old type of village setting in the old style of Mexico. You also have access to Riviera Nayarit, which gives way to towns like Nuevo Vallarta and Sayulita. It gives you a true flavor of Mexico."

Robert Whorrall, vice president of sales and marketing for Beach Bum Vacation, agrees with Smith about Puerto Vallarta. "Our number one on the west coast of Mexico is Puerto Vallarta, hands down," he tells Travel Agent. "It does not get directly hit by hurricanes, where Cabo seems to get directly hit twice a year on average for the 14 years we have been in business. Cabo's beaches are 90 percent non-swimmable, and the water is not warm until June. In Puerto Vallarta, there is authentic, great shopping. The food is WOW, the sunsets are gorgeous, there is fishing, whale watching, zip lining in the mountains. With so many new resorts in the region to choose from like Iberostar Punta Mita, Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta, Hard Rock Vallarta and Secrets Resorts, there are more new options for every traveler's wants and needs."

"Many of our customers who are booked in the next few weeks are being relocated to either the Puerto Vallarta or Cancun/Riviera Maya areas," says Mitch Toren, chief vacation engineer at TripGuy Travel. "Each case is different based on the client’s wants and needs, departure city, and other criteria. In general, our hotel partners have been great in allowing us to work with us on rates to ensure that our customers are not being greatly inconvenienced for higher rates booked at the last minute."

Toren continues, "For those reservations that are not in the near term, we’ve generally been in a wait and see mode, especially knowing how quickly hotels have been cleaned up and renovated from past storms in Cancun. We’re hoping that most of these guests keep their reservations to the Cabo area to support the people and economy there."

"As Los Cabos continues to recover, there are a number of exciting and worthwhile alternative destinations along Mexico's Pacific coast," says Elizabeth Moriarty, MLT Vacations' vice president for product development. "Of these, Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit are truly great escapes. They have relatively short flight times from U.S. origins and each destination offers its own unique blend of tropical paradise with an array of quality hotels, an abundance of recreational opportunities and sophisticated culinary and nightlife scenes."

Pleasant Holidays attended the Los Cabos Strategic Meeting held last Thursday in New York City, which included most major tour operators, airlines and hotel companies. "It is our impression Los Cabos recovery is well underway with the Los Cabos International Airport scheduled to open for commercial passenger flights on October 8, 2014," says Jack Richards, president and CEO, Pleasant Holidays. "There is significant focus for a speedy repair and recovery of the destination for Fall 2014 and Winter 2015 travel."

"Of the 12,000 total rooms in Los Cabos, approximately 5,000 will reopen by October 15th, 6,500 will be open by November 1st, 7,500 by November 15th and 100 percent should be open by December 20, 2014," he continues. "For those scheduled to travel to Los Cabos during the next few weeks, Pleasant Holidays recommends Cancun/Riviera Maya, Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta/Riviera Nayarit, Ixtapa and Mazatlan with a variety of all-inclusive resorts, world-class spas and extraordinary cuisine."

Los Cabos Hotel Updates

Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort is currently closed to arrivals and no longer accepting reservations until Jan. 15, 2015. Guests with existing reservations should call 1-800-HILTONS or the nearest Hilton Reservations and Customer Care center.

Sheraton Hacienda del Mar and The Westin Los Cabos have been focusing on supporting their associates. They have a team on the ground assisting and are activating their global internal relief fund program. A massive clean-up effort is underway, but it is still too early to confirm when the hotels will re-open. It is not expected to be before October 31.

The Barcelo Grand Faro Los Cabos Hotel is reporting that after a thorough assessment and evaluation of the property, there is a stop sell of the hotel in all room categories through November 2. The hotel will reopen on November 3.

Cleanup is underway at all AMResorts hotels. The new reopening date for all resorts in Los Cabos is November 15, including Zoetry Casa del Mar Los Cabos, Secrets Marquis Los Cabos, Secrets Puerto Los Cabos Golf & Spa Resort and Dreams Los Cabos Suites Golf Resort & Spa.

Author Meagan Drillinger

[readon1 url="http://www.travelagentcentral.com/puerto-vallarta/rebooking-los-cabos-travelers-puerto-vallarta-48094"]Source:www.travelagentcentral.com[/readon1]