| | |  Travel & Outdoors | March 2009 
Vallarta Hosts Boat Show Latin America 09
 IBI Magazine
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| | Opening Day ceremonies at the Boat Show Latin America 09 (PromoVision) | |
The first major boat show to be held in Mexico in five years will take place in Puerto Vallarta March 12-16. The inaugural Boat Show Latin America 2009 will target both Mexican buyers and Americans and Canadians who own second homes on Mexico's west coast.
The show will have over 100 boats on display as well as booths from accessory and engine manufacturers. The exhibitors include brands like Dometic, Raymarine and Sealand, and boat names like Benetti, Bertram, Azimut and Nautiques.
But the show will primarily focus around a dozen Brunswick brands. "We are the main sponsor and have been the driving force behind the show," says Bill Gress, president of Brunswick Latin America Group. "We have decided to set this in a location where our first-class dealers can showcase what we've been doing over the last few years." Brunswick has set up dealer networks across Mexico in order to expand that country's boating infrastructure.
"Despite the tough economic environment north of the border, we are seeing more people coming from the US and Canada to buy properties than a year ago," said Gress. "We are targeting those folks. We want to show them that our dealers can provide service and support that is comparable, or even better than, many dealers in the US, and that it makes more sense to buy a boat down here rather than go through the whole importation process." Gress said that he also expects Mexican buyers to visit the show and has also received confirmation from buyers in Venezuela, Colombia and other countries in Latin America.
The Mexican Secretary of the Navy, Mexican Secretary of Tourism, Governor of the State, and possibly even Mexican President Felipe Calderon, are scheduled to attend the event. "The boat show is going to be in a location where cruise ships come in, and they've cleared those out for a week for us," said Gress. "It's going to be a very big deal."
Gress said that the huge uptick in violence in Mexico, which has made front-page news in recent weeks as hundreds are gunned down, is largely limited to the border. "As you get into tourist areas like Cancun, Acapulco, and Puerto Vallarta, you don't see any of that," said Gress. "In fact, I feel safer there than I do in any US city." |
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