The growing number of tourist attractions, the chance to have a symbolic wedding, and an atmosphere of non-discrimination have made the coast of the western Mexican states of Jalisco and Nayarit a paradise for the international gay community.

The strip of beaches that goes from Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, to San Blas, Nayarit, is the leading tourist destination for members of the LGBT community from such countries as the United States and Canada, and increasingly, from Europe and South America, according to publications specializing in the segment.

Richard Zarkin, public relations manager for the Nayarit Riviera Conventions and Visitors Bureau, reports that the agency has great expectations for business from the gay communities in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, and for increasing the number of American and Canadian tourists, considered captive markets.

He said that gay tourists spend 30 percent more than straight tourists, and the gay travel segment is growing annually by as much as 11 percent.

In Nuevo Vallarta, Punta Mita, Sayulita, and San Pancho, in Nayarit state, two hotels offer symbolic weddings and honeymoon packages for same-sex couples, while two more have "Out Now" certificates, awarded to establishments with personnel trained to give comprehensive attention to the gay market, according the Australian marketing firm in the segment, Out Now Global.

Offering symbolic weddings has been a factor in attracting same-sex couples, since the idea behind the ceremony is "not to unite bodies but to unite souls, and the soul has no sex," Enrique Alejos, creator of the concept who has organized four such weddings over the past two years, said.

These ceremonies originated in a pre-Columbian ritual in which the couple "was united spiritually through the four elements" before friends and family.

Arriving in Nuevo Vallarta for two weeks every year are the cruise ships Atlantis and Olivia, exclusively for gay tourists, many of them business people from the United States and Canada seeking a place to relax and have fun.

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, has also developed its attractions for the gay tourist on Los Muertos Beach, known as the "romantic zone" south of the coastal city.

At least 12 hotels there are "gay friendly," with one of them exclusively dedicated to the segment, while a series of bars, restaurants, handicraft and clothing stores, massage parlors, and tourist excursions are also focused on the gay-lesbian community.