Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - Puerto Vallarta will be rolling out the welcome mat for the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA), as the city plays host to their annual conference from May 4-9, 2015.

More than 150 participants from the US and Canada who specialize in travel journalism will attend, putting the spotlight squarely on Puerto Vallarta and highlighting the many activities, sights, world class restaurants, shops, and hotels offered here.

Being chosen to host the NATJA conference has been a 3 year effort on the part of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board, and marks the first time the conference will be held outside of the US and Canada, making this a huge win for Vallarta and a historically significant occasion for the NATJA.

This event is so important for Puerto Vallarta's worldwide image as a safe and fun tourist destination, because of the great influence of this many contributing journalists and their respective backgrounds, interests, and related contacts.

The tourism board is pulling out all stops to make this a fabulous time for all involved, from hotel upgrades to complimentary tours and even a deep cleaning of the Malecon's walkways and statues, in order to put Vallarta's best face forward.

The cost of hosting this event has so far been estimated at approximately 3 million pesos, but it is expected that the charm and natural beauty for which Puerto Vallarta is known will go a long way toward a huge return on investment, as these professionals begin writing about their experiences in Vallarta and then disseminating their work to various social media and journalism platforms both on the web and in print.

The potential reach of these influential writers is huge, and it's been calculated that each participant will bring in roughly $5,000 USD with the articles, blogs, tweets, and posts to their respective networks and audiences.

The calendar of events for participants is packed full and includes zip line tours, swimming with dolphins, horseback rides, beach club visits, golf, special dinners and performances, all offered complimentary by local companies such as Vallarta Adventures, Dolphin Discovery, Canopy River, and many others.

The list of keynote speakers is quite impressive as well, and includes a highly anticipated lecture by Andrew McCarthy, a popular American actor and travel writer.

The May 4-9 NATJA conference is a welcome opportunity to showcase what we in Puerto Vallarta already know: that this town is a rare jewel and totally worthy of all the attention it's about to receive.