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. Here's a look at some of this week's Puerto Vallarta headlines, some breaking news stories, and a couple of this weekend's events that you won't want to miss.

Jalisco’s Cruise Trade on the Rebound

There are encouraging signs that Jalisco’s cruise line trade is picking up after more than five years in the doldrums. Ports in Jalisco are set to receive 107 cruise liners this year, up from the 2013 total of 81. The figure should rise to 150 by 2015, says Jalisco Tourism Director Enrique Ramos Flores. Earlier this month, at the Cruise Shipping Miami 2014 trade show, Ramos held positive talks with the president of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), a not-for-profit trade organization composed of 15 member cruise lines operating more than 100 vessels in Floridian, Caribbean and Latin American waters. He also secured agreements with the directors of the world’s three leading cruise lines to bring more vessels to Jalisco in the years ahead. Authorities confirm that more than 50,000 tourists disembarked from cruise liners in January and February in Puerto Vallarta – a huge tonic for the local economy. However, attracting more cruise ships during the low season – June, July, August – is a much more difficult proposition.

Puerto Vallarta Musical Sunset Series

Due to the success of previous editions, the Vallarta Cultural Institute kicked off this year's Musical Sunset Series yesterday with an evening of music and dancing in the city's Plaza Principal. Thursday night's entertainment started off with performances by singers Mario Gonzalez and Brisa Fernández, followed by a presentation by the Cuale Cultural Center's Latin American instruments students, and concluded with the sounds and rhythms of Enrique Barrios' Grupo Folklórico Municipal Xuitla. If you missed Thursday's performances, head over to the Las Mojoneras main plaza on Friday for an encore performance by Mario Gonzalez at 6:30 pm, followed by some High-Energy Rock by Los Montor, Three Circus and Orange. If you're in the downtown area on Saturday, you won't want to miss the Musical Sunset Series' Grand Finale at Los Arcos del Malecón amphitheater, for repeat performances from Orange, Los Montor, and Three Circus, along with a concert by the winners of 2013's Battle of the Bands - Koi, Tepic's The Groove Men and Bieros Kum playing Cumbia Villera. All performances are open to the public and free of charge.

90 US Travel Agents Visited Riviera Nayarit in March

During the month of March, three FAM trips that brought more than 90 US travel agents to the Banderas Bay region stood out among the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau's many promotional activities. The largest of the three FAM trips took place from March 2-6, when a total of 60 agents from five different states explored Mexico’s Pacific Treasure. The group took workshops to help them sell the destination and promote Delta Vacations’ direct flights from Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Detroit. A group of 25 agents from Funjet Vacations visited from March 5-8, arriving from different US gateways. They received training and updates on everything that’s new in the destination, and visited Sayulita and many of the Banderas Bay region’s accommodations. Nine agents from Worldview Travel visited from March 12-17th. These agents specialize in luxury vacations and came to explore the Riviera Nayarit and inspect the hotels of interest to their clients. They were accompanied by Betty Emeric, General Manager for Alaska Airlines, who was on-hand to promote connections with the destination. Their activities included visits to Sayulita, San Pancho, Punta Mita and Nuevo Vallarta; they were very impressed with the Riviera Nayarit’s symbiosis between nature and luxury. Through these promotional activities the Riviera Nayarit CVB seeks to consolidate its position with the US market, a very important captive audience that now has even more agents who are completely head over heels for the Riviera Nayarit.

Puerto Vallarta #4 on 2014 List of Best Overall Destinations in Mexico

TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel website, just released the results of their 2014 Travelers' Choice Awards, and Puerto Vallarta has been named #4 out of 10 'Best Overall Destination in Mexico.' Banderas Bay area winners in other categories included the St. Regis Punta Mita Resort, which ranked at #8 out of the 'Top 25 Hotels in the World,' and #1 in the 'Top 25 Hotels in Mexico' category. Villa La Estancia in Nuevo Vallarta and The Four Seasons Punta Mita were also among the 'Top 25 Hotels in Mexico,' coming in at #6 and #16, respectively. And since Banderas Bay is known for its beautiful beaches, it comes as no surprise that Nuevo Vallarta Beach took 8th place on the 'Top 10 Mexico Beaches' list. To see a list of all of Trip Advisor's 2014 Travelers’ Choice categories and award winners, click HERE.

Weekend Events in Puerto Vallarta and Banderas Bay
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• Puerto Vallarta's 14th International Film Festival

• Mexico Cup Regatta Continues at Marina Riviera Nayarit

• American Legion & Navy League Charity Chili Cook-Off