Q & A with Oscar RiveroPresident of the Puerto Vallarta Hotel Association and Trusteeship

by Consuelo Elipe

With barely twelve months in the post, Oscar Rivero talked exclusively with Caribbean News Digital about both his career and his chairmanship. We welcomed us in his office at the Costa Club Hotel, a responsibility he shares with his job at the helm of the Puerto Vallarta Hotel Association and Trusteeship.

Q.- Mr. Rivero, we´d like to know about your career in the travel industry. What can you tell us about it?

A.- I started out in Acapulco back in 1985 working for the Hyatt Hotels Co. This first tenure in an international company gave me the opportunity of making a head start in the business. I worked in Acapulco for eight months, plus six months I spent in Chicago, also at a Hyatt Hotel. Then, I moved back to Acapulco to continue the training, and once it was over I headed to Mexico City to work at the company´s headquarters.

After that, I began working at the Hyatt Cancun Caribe, and from there I moved to Puerto Vallarta, to the Hyatt Coral, now called the President Intercontinental. I stayed there for a couple of years before going back to Acapulco to serve at the Continental Plaza Hotel.

Q.- What´s so special about Puerto Vallarta? What does this travel destination have to offer?

A- Above all, Puerto Vallarta has the flavor of Mexico, more than any other destination across Mexico that are more cosmopolitan. Puerto Vallarta has the flavor of Mexico´s little towns. That´s its signature and that´s how it´s been advertised both domestically and internationally.

Q.- What are your top responsibilities as president of Puerto Vallarta´s hoteliers?

A.- The main objective here is to achieve the participation of the community in a hands-on effort for the sake of the destination, its promotion and its economy. At the same time, the association plays a major role in the creation of jobs for the community. In a word, the association´s top priority is the development of the local leisure industry and the improvement of the community as a whole.

As to my job as president, well, I need to work hand in hand with all the sectors in order to keep up the good work and make Puerto Vallarta as good as it could possibly get.

Q.- What major drawbacks have you found while doing your job and what are the things that appear to be the most worrisome of all?

A.- First of all, the preservation of our beaches, of our destination as a whole, of the town. That´s no doubt the most worrisome things to me. I think it´s important to continue working on a regular basis to keep the cultural fire burning. It´s similarly important to build awareness about the need to preserve the place and enforce the laws that regulate that preservation.

Q.- Do all hotels in Puerto Vallarta belong to the association?

A.- No, not all them do. One of the main goals for this year is to snare nine out of then hotels into the association.

Q.- When you look at what´s going on from the sidelines you get the feeling that there´s no solid unification and that you get a hard time trying to get the job done. What can you do to make things run smoother?

A.- Look, I believe discussion and mutual understanding are the keys to success here. I don´t think you could find someone who doesn´t love Puerto Vallarta. I know it´s hard sometimes to get the job done, but there are many ways to pull things off. The only thing we need to do is find our common grounds and understand one another. As far as the Trusteeship is concerned, its chief objective is the promotion of Puerto Vallarta both in the domestic and international markets. That´s the one thing it needs to focus on. Nothing else.

Q.- Is there anything else you´d like to add?

A.- I´d like to take advantage of your publication to invite people to come to Puerto Vallarta and see by themselves what this lovely town has to offer. We have to improve this destination and make it better with each passing day. This is a Mexican town that depends on tourism, so we need to make things better every time. We have to build awareness in the people, in the families, in the kids if we really want Puerto Vallarta to be more than just a ten-year-old destination, but a destination for forever more.