Guadalajara, Mexico - From April 24-28 the international tourism industry was focused on Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico's second largest city and host to the 41st Tianguis Turístico, an annual smorgasbord that brings together the best of the country's destinations, hotels and service providers with thousands of buyers and visitors.

Expectations were high—not the least because of the sheer size of the Expo Centro. This is the largest convention center in Latin America, giving the 3,176 exhibitors over 484,000 square feet of space to set up some extraordinarily impressive booths. And in terms of numbers, this year's Tianguis was just as impressive: 37,022 business meetings were held with the participation of 1,605 buyers, 910 companies and 79 countries, including Mexico, as well as 9,413 attendees. There were 542 business suites installed, the largest number in the history of Tianguis.

Having recouped its standing as one of the world's top ten most visited countries according to the World Tourism Organization, Mexico pulled out all the stops in Guadalajara, showcasing its cultural and artisanal diversity, as well as its abundance of natural attractions, with an emphasis for the first time on the romance, culinary and meetings industries, which had their own pavilions. In another first for Tianguis, there were stands for the Pueblos Mágicos, as well as an exhibit booth for indigenous ecotourism.

News From The Big Top

Some of the most colorful news to emerge from the Tianguis Turístico is in a category all its own: Daniel Lamarre, President and CEO of the Canadian entertainment company, Cirque du Soleil, presented a video peek at the construction of a mega-amusement park to be located outside the huge Vidanta resort complex in Nuevo Vallarta.

In a second and no less exciting announcement, Lamarre presented a clip of Cirque du Soleil's newest show, Luzia: A Waking Dream of Mexico, an appropriately dreamy interpretation of Mexican culture that pulls out some of its richest - and lesser promoted - aspects in an effort to convince their expected 100-million spectators across 450 cities around the world to see the country for themselves.

Created in conjunction with the Mexico Secretariat of Tourism (SECTUR), this monumental show kicks off its world tour this month in Montreal, making its way to the United States later this year. Show-goers can expect monumental set designs and acrobatics representing aspects such as the renowned speed of Northern Mexico's Tarahumara, or Rarámuri, tribe; the different incarnations of rain, from a refreshing shower to torrential downpours (the water used will be recycled) and the country's amazing animals, represented by enormous, life-like puppets.

Destination News

Construction is about to begin on Costa Canuva in the Riviera Nayarit, located in the municipality of Compostela, just 45 minutes north of the Puerto Vallarta International Airport and two and a half hours from the city of Guadalajara. A joint effort between Portugal's Mota-Engil Tourismo and Mexico's Fonatur, the $120 million investment will include over 2,500 residential units, five luxury hotels, a beach club, specialty restaurants, a marina, mountain biking trails and more.

The development will also offer 630 acres of beach, estuary and mountains, with a PGA-caliber golf course co-designed by golf pros Greg Norman and Lorena Ochoa, with two holes running parallel to the ocean and another two with extraordinary views. The first stage is slated for completion by 2018, and will include the golf course, beach club, 350 residential units and a Fairmont property. The resort will have 250 rooms and suites, including 40 Fairmont Gold rooms and branded residences and a 13,000-square-foot Willow Stream Spa.

In Jalisco, Puerto Vallarta is looking forward to the opening of the new La Isla Shopping Mall this year, with luxury hotels and gourmet restaurants. Airlift news to Guadalajara includes two more weekly Aeromexico flights to Fresno, California; and new flights to Seattle and Austin on Volaris later this year summer.