Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - From January through September 2016, the number of national and international arrivals to Puerto Vallarta has surpassed last year's record for this tourist destination, without taking into account that October, November and December numbers are yet to be counted.

This means that 'The Most Mexican Beach Destination in the Country' is experiencing an atypical year. For example, even in the month of September, known by the locals as "septihambre" (the hungry month), Puerto Vallarta hotels had record occupancies.

The north coast regional director of the Jalisco Ministry of Tourism, José Ludwig Estrada Virgen, commented, "Something is happening that had never happened in Puerto Vallarta. This year has been atypical... it has been one of the best there has ever been in Puerto Vallarta, economically speaking... 2008, which was one of the municipality's best years for tourism, is already forgotten. We must remember that in 2008, PV did not have the same rooms, it did not have the same influx, and yet by the ninth month of this year the tourism numbers for 2008 had already been exceeded."

He added, "Since we had already reached four million visitors in September, 2016 has been very good to Puerto Vallarta in every way... and it is only going to get better because hotel occupancy is going to be reaching 95% by the end of this month, and go up from there. It is expected that hotels will be at full capacity in the second half of December, and there are properties that already have reservations through March."

Something that has benefited Puerto Vallarta this year is the favorable dollar to peso exchange rates, which gives international tourists more purchasing power - and another reason to escape the cold weather and enjoy a Mexico beach vacation.