Q & A with Miguel GonzalezChief of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Trusteeship

by Jose Carlos de Santiago

Puerto Vallarta is interested in drawing in increasing numbers of Spanish tourists, a reason why the Mexican travel destination showed up at the latest FITUR show in Madrid, rubbing elbows with some of the world´s best tour operators and travel agencies.

Q.- What´s the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Trusteeship?

A.- The Trusteeship is in charge of managing all funds collected through the 2 percent tax levied on all lodgings. This tax is applied institutionally all across the country and is aimed at helping boost the place as a travel destination.

Q.- What groups or institutions make up the Trusteeship?

A.- It´s made up of then members representing both the public and private sectors. Other members are the Hotel Association, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Association of Tourism Investors, among others.

Q.- How´s tourism faring in Puerto Vallarta from the standpoint of the European and Spanish markets?

A.- The information we have reveals that tourism in Puerto Vallarta has been doing good. It´s been good in all Mexico, but especially in Puerto Vallarta. There were some air connection problems in the past, chiefly because nonstop flights from Europe to Puerto Vallarta were hard to come by and there was always a risk of losing some of those flights in the process.

As we speak, Puerto Vallarta is home to several Spanish tour operators specialized in outbound markets. These agents are focusing on Guadalajara, Zacatecas and Michoacan. However, there´s a weak link in this chain because we haven´t been able to close the circle and make far more tourists visit Puerto Vallarta as part of that package. The goal is to have tourists coming to Puerto Vallarta and then give them the chance of making weeklong stays in places like Cancun, in the Riviera Maya.

Q.- How many Spanish tourists visited Puerto Vallarta last year?

A.- I can´t give you an exact figure, but I´d dare say that number is hovering around 1,000 trippers.

Q.- What´s the current room/night ratio?

A.- Visitors are averaging some seven nights per stay, which is no doubt a pretty interesting figure to look at.

Q.- How many hotel rooms are available in Puerto Vallarta?

A.- That figure is in the neighborhood of 200,000 rooms in all categories, from fancy hotels and one-star hotels to mom-and-pop inns and hostels. We also include bungalows, condos and apartments for tourists.

Q.- How many tourists other than cruise passengers does Puerto Vallarta receive?

A.- In 2005 we welcomed some 3 million tourists that didn´t travel aboard cruise liners, including both the domestic and international markets.

Q.- And what about cruise passengers?

A.- Half a million in 2005.

Q.- What kind of tourists visit Puerto Vallarta the most? Families, single people, gays?

A.- Since it´s markets we´re talking about, I must say that fifty percent of all tourists visiting Puerto Vallarta hails from the domestic market, and the remaining fifty percent comes from overseas, especially from the U.S., Canada, Europe and South America. The Unites States accounts for 60 percent of the market, Canada holds somewhere between 12 and 17 percent, and Europe gets from 5 to 7 percent of the total.