Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - There's always so much going on in Puerto Vallarta and around Banderas Bay, it can be difficult to keep up with it all. So we've put together a brief overview of several of this week's headlines from local Spanish language newspapers, a few breaking Mexico news stories, and a couple of upcoming events you won't want to miss.

OnStar Services Now Available in Mexico

OnStar Mexico, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors Co. and General Motors de Mexico recently announced that OnStar services, which are focused on safety, navigation and connectivity for drivers and passengers, are now active on select vehicles. Combining sophisticated technology with access to live advisors 24 hours a day, seven days a week, OnStar will initially be available on the new Chevrolet Cheyenne and GMC Sierra pickups. Service will be available on the Cadillac ATS later this year, and more vehicles across GM’s four vehicle brands – Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac – will be equipped with OnStar throughout 2014. To provide the personalized customer service for which OnStar is known, a call center in Mexico has been opened, staffed with advisors specially trained to assist drivers with directions, vehicle information and emergency services. Learn more at automotiveworld.com.

Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit's California Promotion

As part of the joint promotion initiative that began May 31st to increase the influx of tourists, from June 24-27th representatives from the Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit Tourism Boards visited with travel industry leaders in San Diego, Costa Mesa, Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. Overall, the joint presentations, which showcased all of the wonderful amenities in our destination, reached a total of 456 travel agents. As California's Pacific Coast is a natural market for the Banderas Bay area, while there, both agencies participated in interviews with nine of the region's most influential media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times and the Wake Up San Diego television program. It is hoped that this campaign, together with the promotional efforts currently in place with the airline industry to increase flights to Puerto Vallarta, will entice the people of California to travel to the Banderas Bay region and "Live it to Believe it."

Festival Internacional de Danza Ibérica Comes to Vallarta

The Festival Internacional de Danza Ibérica, an important Spanish contemporary dance festival that takes place in Querétaro every two years, has earned its place as one of the most important cultural festivals in all of Mexico. Now in its fourth edition, the festival began on July 3 and continues through the 20th, featuring some of Spain’s most important dancers, as well as other artistic forms of expression such as music, painting, sculpture, photography, food, movies, and textile design exhibitions and workshops. This year, Puerto Vallarta has been asked to participate as an additional site, linking education and artistic training between the two cities. Local activities begin on Thursday, July 11 at 5 pm with a special exhibition of dance photography at Plaza Caracol, where some of the Festival’s most captivating images will be on display for several days. The following evening, at 8 pm, Teatro Vallarta will present a Spanish Dance Gala performed by the "Larreal" Choreography Workshop from the "Mariemma" Royal Dance Conservatory. From July 15 - 19 the Cuale Cultural Center will screen a selection of films made available by the Spanish Embassy, from 4 to 8 pm. Thanks to the festival's many corporate and government sponsors, these events will be offered free of charge.

New Delta Flight Brings More Tourists to Vallarta

On July 3rd, the 122 passengers aboard the first of Delta Airlines' new daily flights from Los Angeles was welcomed by Mariachi music and an enthusiastic committee composed of tourism officials and representatives from Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit hotels and resorts. This new flight, which has a capacity of 144 passengers and will operate for the rest of the year, not only means the official start of the joint promotion with Riviera Nayarit, but also represents the arrival of more affluent American tourists to both destinations. Upon the flight's arrival, the president of the Puerto Vallarta Hotels and Motels Association, Ignacio Cadena Beraud, said, "this is going to keep repeating throughout the remainder of the year because flights will be coming in from 18 new cities." In addition to the upper-class tourists, many of the passengers on these new flight will be middle-class families - and that means full planes which, Cadena said, "will certainly benefit all who live on tourism in the Banderas Bay region."

Upcoming Events in Puerto Vallarta and Around the Bay
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• No Way José! Celebrates Tuna (the fruit not the fish)

• 2nd International Beach Polo Cup in Riviera Nayarit

• Daiquiri Dick's Serves Up a Sizzling Summer BBQ

• Los Mangos Library's 'Fantastic People' Summer Course

Don't forget to vote for your favorite Puerto Vallarta restaurants in our 2013 Best of Banderas Bay Awards, right HERE on BanderasNews.com. We'll be collecting your votes in categories ranging from 'Best Breakfast' to 'Best Margarita' through December 31st, and the Puerto Vallarta restaurant with the most votes in each category will be named 'The Best of Banderas Bay' at an awards ceremony in early 2014. Click HERE to vote NOW!