Two destinations, one paradise?

Hello everyone!

Today I want to talk to you about an extremely important topic for this region of the Mexican Pacific, made up of two municipalities, two tourist destinations or, as someone has rightly described it: “Two destinations, one paradise.”

Unfortunately, this paradise is on the way to becoming, if we allow it, a nightmare, due to the disorderly growth of the metropolitan area, whose society demands more services and well-being, as well as a sustainable place to live, demands that are increasingly difficult to comply, and it is that we live in a purely touristic region, and the needs of its inhabitants are different and more complex than those of a city that does not have tourism as a calling.

In the specific case of Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit, we observe a constant movement due to the construction of new hotels and real estate developments that, of course, require labor, and more workers (many of whom come from other states of the Republic), to whom it will be necessary to provide housing and basic services such as drinking water, electricity, sanitation, etc.

In Puerto Vallarta alone, there are more than 22,000 hotel rooms, and more than 15,000 in Bahía de Banderas, with a projection of at least 5,000 more rooms, based on recently announced investments, both in Jalisco and in Nayarit.

The Metropolitan Tourist Interstate Zone (in Spanish “Zona Metropolitana Interestatal Turística ZMPV-BB)

Not long ago, I remember that it was in June 2021 when business organizations from Puerto Vallarta and Bahía de Banderas region presented a project to consolidate the Tourist Interstate Metropolitan Zone (ZMPV-BB) -the first in the country- made up of these two municipalities, which includes fundamental aspects such as the Federation’s budget, planning and execution of the ZMPV-BB. In the project they mentioned that one of the biggest challenges had to do with infrastructure and with the homologation of laws and regulations, however, the initiative contemplated participation in the 2022 Federation Expenditure Budget in terms of Infrastructure and in the public shares of the Metropolitan Funds.

This is why it was good to read about the meeting recently held by the municipal presidents of Puerto Vallarta, Luis Alberto Michel Rodríguez, and Bahía de Banderas, Mirtha Villalvazo Amaya, who agreed with SEDATU on the work route so that by the end of the year, the Land Management Program for the Interstate Metropolitan Area of ​​Puerto Vallarta – Bahía de Banderas will be concluded, which contemplates that tourism development be one of the central axes of planning.

The document was submitted to public consultation and it is expected that on October 31 it will be delivered by the Metropolitan Planning Commission to the municipal and state governments for their opinion, approval and subsequent publication in the official gazettes and newspapers of Jalisco and Nayarit.

We are talking, without a doubt, of a first step that will give certainty and set the priorities for the future (I hope not too far away), which will help improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of this thriving metropolitan area.

What do you think? Send me your comments.