Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Mexico’s annual travel trade show, Tianguis Turistico, is taking place in Puerto Vallarta’s International Convention Center this week, and it is looking to be one of the most successful in the event’s 37-year history.

In inaugurating Tianguis, Mexican President Felipe Calderón said this year’s event is expected to generate $140 million in revenue. He also said exhibitor attendance is up 30% over last year and exhibitors at the show come from more than 30 countries.

“We want people to come to Mexico to feel it because Mexico is to be felt,” Calderón said, in a play on Mexico Tourism’s tagline in Spanish, “Mexico! Se siente!”(feel it!)

Mexico Secretary of Tourism, Gloria Guevara Manzo, announced that this year’s Tianguis has 7,000 total attendees, a 75% rise over last year when 4,000 attendees participated. In addition, Tianguis is hosting 50% more international and national buyers this year and 70% of those buyers are wholesalers. Business-to-business appointments also rose 40% this year to 22,000.

Guevara also explained that Tianguis’ new circular logo, divided into five different colored segments, represents Mexico Tourism’s diversification strategy aimed at increasing volume.

Guevara also thanked the Calderón administration, as the end of the president’s final term approaches, for investing more than $31 billion pesos in Mexico’s tourism infrastructure, launching new tourism products and promotions and diversifying its offerings and services.

“Today, we have a 98% repeat visitor rate and 99 out of every 100 visitors recommends our destinations, above all for extraordinary Mexican hospitality,” Guevara said.