Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - After a couple of record years, the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Trust (Fidetur) is setting the bar higher as they strive to increase the number of national and international arrivals through pro-active promotional campaigns that focus on attracting different niche markets.

"The great tourist results that were obtained in 2016 and in 2017 are a motivation for the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Trust to continue along the same route, as well as a challenge to set higher objectives for tourism promotion, Fidetur Chairman Álvaro Garciarce said.

In 2018, the tourism board is focused on attracting new markets and will do so by promoting the cultural, musical and sporting events that show the destination off as a haven for younger travelers, while keeping the typical older demographic that tends to flock to its beaches and hotels amused.

"This is a year in which the achievements of the previous years must be fully consolidated; we aim to have a high and constant hotel occupation, to reduce the low seasons, to achieve greater economic benefits for all sectors, and to specify the diversification of markets in Mexico and other countries," Garciarce said.

"For the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Trust our purpose is very clear for 2018; we've defined strategies in the areas of public relations, marketing, promotions and social networking, all aimed at attracting priority markets that will produce economic flow throughout the year," he added.

THE EVENTS

In 2018, in addition to spectacular editions of the events that have become an integral part of the annual calendar of activities, such as the Gourmet Festival, the Vallarta-Nayarit Gastronómica and various fishing tournaments, there will be some new events added such as the first Puerto Vallarta Marathon on Sunday, April 15, and the Centenario Cycling Route on April 28 that will offer cyclists three distances, including a 100 kilometers round-trip ride to Punta Mita.

In addition, on May 31 Puerto Vallarta will celebrate its Centennial as a municipality and 50th anniversary as city, which presents a unique opportunity to offer visitors a series of very special musical, cultural, gastronomic and sporting events.

THE PROMOTION

Regarding the events of Promotion and Public Relations, the manager of that area in the Fidetur, Luis Villaseñor, stressed that a very intense calendar has been designed focused on the tourist segments it wants to attract.

Some of the activities of the first quarter of the year include the presence of representatives of the destination at fairs and seminars in New York, California and Chicago in the United States, where there is a growing interest in Puerto Vallarta among Anglo-Saxons, Latinos and citizens of Jalisco.

Special mention Gala Vallarta 2017 that will be held on February 12 and 13, an unmissable event for major wholesalers who negotiate the offer of rooms with hotel representatives; It is expected that the meeting will be very beneficial for both parties and will affect room occupancy throughout the year.

In February, the biggest national promotion will be the Puerto Vallarta-Riviera Nayarit caravan through the cities of El Bajío, such as Morelia, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Aguascalientes and León, which represent a very important market.

At the international level, the promotion in Colombia will be reinforced, in order to consolidate the advances in that market that shows a growing interest in discovering this Pacific region. The promotion in Finland will continue to strengthen the weekly flight, for this there will soon be seminars that will make stops in Helsinki and Tallinn, Estonia.

THE VISITS

It is worth mentioning that some celebrities will visit the destination in 2018, as is the case of Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martín, who will record his next music video here this month.

To this will be added visits by print and electronic media journalists from national and foreign publications that will highlight this destination throughout the year.

With the Tourism Trust doing everything it takes to continue the pro-active promotion of the destination for the benefit of the families of this port city, all indicators suggest that 2018 will be another great year for tourism in Puerto Vallarta.