Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - Since tourism is one of the main activities in "Mexico's Most Authentic Port," Puerto Vallarta Mayor Ramon Guerrero Martinez and the Municipal Tourism Department will host a series of events from September 25th through 27th, in observance of World Tourism Day.

The celebrations will begin on Wednesday, September 25th at 6 pm, with an art expo to be installed in the interior hallways of City Hall, where nine Puerto Vallarta art galleries and four local artists will display their works. Free admission.

On Thursday, September 26th, a salsa-dancing contest will be held in the Aquiles Serdan outdoor theater, better known as Los Arcos del Malecón, at 8 pm. "The contest participants are from local salsa dancing schools. Several couples have already enrolled, including some children from Guanajuato, who have participated in dance competitions," explained Municipal Tourism Deputy Director, Enrique Tovar, who emphasized that cash prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners.

To culminate the celebration, at 8 pm on Friday, September 27th, a culinary exposition will be held in the outer corridors of City Hall, in which "about 20 restaurants will offer event attendees samples of their food and Mariachi will perform their tunes for two hours," the official said.

Established by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism, World Tourism Day has been celebrated on September 27th every year since 1980.

The timing of World Tourism Day (WTD) is particularly appropriate in that it comes at the end of the high season in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of the season in the southern hemisphere, when tourism is on the minds of millions of people worldwide.

In support of the United Nations naming 2013 the 'International Year of Water Cooperation,' this year’s WTD theme is "Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future," which highlights tourism’s role in contributing to a more sustainable water future, as well as the challenges ahead.

Click HERE to learn more about UNWTO, and this year's World Tourism Day celebrations in the Maldives.