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| Continental Airlines Hosts Sales Meeting in Puerto Vallarta Continental Airlines announces a four-day visit to study the local market by nine of its executives this week: Noel Smith, director of national sales; Mike Going, vice president of marketing of certified vacations; Scott Ackerman, general manager of Continental Airlines Vacations; Kim Hughes, marketing manager; Paul Orovets, national sales manager; and five regional sales managers. From 2003 to 2004, Continental’s passenger load increased 29%, from 466,800 to 600,660, but so far in 2005 the growth has only registered at about 5%. Increased competition and more special charters and package fares have taken a bite from the regular passenger load. The visitors will inspect a number of the hotels that continue to provide package rates through the tour operators who work with Continental, as well as their own vacation company. In 2004, Continental Airlines received "Executive Travel" magazine’s award for Best Service to Mexico from the USA, while in 2003, 2004 and 2005 it received the Best Airline Based in North America Award from OAG, the organization that monitors airline performance. See www.continental.com for further information on Continental Airlines. 7/26/05 |
| Passports Required for Cruisers as of 2007 The Mexican government recently made the decision to require passports from all cruise passengers arriving in international ports in Mexico beginning in 2007. Long considered necessary for national and local security, the requirement allows time for cruise companies to launch a campaign to advise the traveling public. The local response to the decision was one of satisfaction, as this will allow the proper security involving passengers in preventing future incidents. 7/26/05 |
| African Drums Rumble in Aramara Drummers riff the beat as feet stomp, bodies bend and arms move at African dance classes in Aramara. Offering morning and evening classes, maestro Lamine Thiam of Senegal is a dancer, choreographer, musician and actor, coming to Puerto Vallarta from Mexico City at the invitation of his local representative Karla González. No experience is necessary as a dancer or in this particular form of dance to appreciate and enjoy it. The classes cost $300 pesos per session, with morning sessions 9 - 10:30 am and evening sessions 8 - 9:30 pm through Friday, July 29. Classes are held at Círculo Mágico at Prisciliano Sánchez 330 in Aramara. Call (322) 225-2315 or 044 (322) 131-3548 for further information. 7/26/05 |
| Children with Cancer Vacation in Vallarta Summertime represents vacation time for innumerable families, even those with children who have cancer. Casa CANICA (Centro de Apoyo a Niños con Cáncer A.C. or aid center for children with cancer), based in Guadalajara, helps the children who are victims of cancer and their families not only during the year as they receive their treatments but in the summer by bringing them here to Puerto Vallarta. “Every child deserves a vacation,” says director and founder of the organization Francisco Javier Galván Villarreal, “especially kids with cancer who need so much unconditional love.” In fact, Galván Villarreal considers love the most important factor in the daily care of the children. Local representatives recognized for their efforts and involvement were Maripepa González, public relations manager for the Westin Regina, and Alfonso Salgado, general director of Sea Life Park, among others. For further information, see www.casacanica.org or call the local DIF (integrated family development) offices at (322) 225-9936. Donations can be made to Bancomer account 014-151-1319, registered under Centro de Apoyo a Niños con Cáncer A.C. 7/26/05 |
Golf Tourney Involves Time Share Owners |
| Vallartan Returns with Silver Medal Local sports star Zanllacy Nauli Dueñas Rivera came home recently from the International Tae Kwon Do Championship in Korea with a silver medal. This young Vallartan athlete, crowned Subchampion International Korea 2005, represented Mexico in the international competition gaining 15 out of 17 possible points, only losing in the final round to the representative from Thailand. This year she also received the local Vallartan of the Year award for sports on the anniversary of the city shortly after coming home with the gold in Tae Kwon Do at the National Youth Olympics. 7/19/05 |
| World Peace Event Organized Downtown An event called “A Day Out of Time” is focused on celebrating World Peace Day on Monday, July 25, at the Central Cultural Cuale (CCC) on Isla Rio Cuale. Beginning at 8 am, this day-long event will be inaugurated with a sacred fire ceremony, followed by a reading on synchronicity. Activities include yoga, art workshops, an open forum for artists, projection of the video “Time is Art,” a performance of contemporary dance, rainbow meditations and, finally, thanksgiving and a closing ceremony. For further information on meditations and celebrations around the world, including Italy, USA, Spain, Portugal, Holland, Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico, see www.tortuga.com or just show up at the cultural center on the east end of Isla Rio Cuale. 7/19/05 |
| Reports Indicate Good Season Preliminary local and state tourism reports indicate the current season is well underway with hotels, airlines, the cruise terminal and the local bus station announcing record levels of arrivals. Traffic has also increased manifold in the Banderas Bay area, one of the most popular destinations in the country, as reports of threatening hurricane activity in the eastern Yucatán Peninsula fuel national news. Not all is good news locally, however, with some two- and three-star hotels and restaurants feeling the pinch of all-inclusive bargains from deluxe hotels all along the coast of the bay. 7/19/05 |
| New Chef at Vista Grill Introduces Menu Vista Grill chef Claudio Marras presented his new menu recently at a press event held at sunset with a breathtaking view of the entire bay. Marras, from Santiago, Chile, was the invited chef at Bogart’s last November during the Gourmet Festival, where Vista Grill owner Alberto Pérez met him. Having studied at INCAP, the international school of chefs in Santiago, Marras also spent time at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and Lenótre in Paris. While in France, he worked at Clos Longchamps, a two-star Michelin, then returned to Santiago to found and operate his restaurant Fiume y Mezzo. In the new menu at Vista Grill, salmon is featured, as well as numerous seafood specialties that combine Mexican cuisine with an international Latin American flair. Entrees include huachinango (red snapper) served over green apples, oxtail lasagna, stewed beef ribs over dried tomatoes and baked duck with carrots and ginger. For more information, see www.vistagrill.com or call (322) 222-3570. 7/19/05 |
| Meat Featured in Local Cooking Class On July 23, cook up a storm with Paradise Bakery chef and owner Liana Turner. This four-hour class, “All about Meat,” will teach you not only where to buy the finest cuts of various meats, but also distinct preparation methods, including brining, barbecue, dry ribs and accompanying sauces. You will also prepare several refreshing salads, with lunch accompanied by a glass of appropriate wine and simple dessert. At a cost of $400 pesos, reservations are recommended at 222-5133. 7/12/05 |
Bastille Day Celebrated in Vallarta |
| New Medical Services Offered at Institute The new (Institute of Biomedical Research) next to Plaza Caracol provides medical services previously unavailable in Puerto Vallarta. With state-of-the-art equipment, the qualified medical staff can produce digital encephalographs to better detect and monitor epileptic attacks, convulsions, migraines and conditions such as attention deficit, cerebral damage, encephalotomies, psychic trauma, alcoholism and drug addiction. In addition, staff doctor José Jaime Dávila is able to travel with a portable monitor for patients in crisis. A neuro-feedback system is available for children with slow-learning conditions, hyperactivity, distraction and impulsive behavior. In addition, Dr. Armando Ibarra provides nephrology services including testing and dialysis. Other doctors on staff include Dr. Graciela Gómez Arrellano, an emergency specialist; Dr. Julio Alberto Valenzuela Meza, a pediatric surgeon; and two chemical biologists, Sandra Santos and Benjamín Jiménez Mendoza, with the most advanced equipment for analysis. 7/12/05 |
| Karne Garibaldi Opens Downtown Vallarta now has a Guinness Record holder with the recent opening of Karne Garibaldi at Morelos 799, recognized for the fastest service in the world. Founded in 1970 by Nestor Flores Michel, the restaurant received the Guinness Record for fastest service of 13.5 seconds, a title it still retains, followed by the Gold Star in Madrid in 1997. 7/12/05 |
| Downtown Committee Ready for Action The committee formed for the restoration of downtown Vallarta, headed by Abel Villa of the Buenaventura Hotels, has renewed the pact with the city administration to work together toward finding viable solutions. While the committee says they need funds to complete their investigations and solidify the project, municipal authorities have connected the release of public funds to funding from the business owners themselves to provide a type of matching fund. In any case, the first release of funds, about $500,000 pesos, half the final amount promised, will be made this week. The first step with the help of these funds will be to define appropriate regulations for signs and announcements for businesses, providing a more homogenous aspect to the storefronts downtown, with the second step being the actual control and rectification of those signs. 7/12/05 |
| Frontier Connects Vallarta with Kansas City Frontier announces new flights from Kansas City to Puerto Vallarta. Scheduled to begin December 17, three non-stop flights a week will service the route, with connections through Denver other days of the week. The nonstop Puerto Vallarta flight will depart at 7:30 am Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, arriving at 11:05 am, with returns the same days departing Vallarta at 11:55 am and arriving in Kansas City at 3:25 pm. A special introductory fare of $139 each way with round-trip tickets is offered if purchased by July 27 or within 24 hours of booking, whichever comes first. In addition, the Mexico-focused airline will begin service to Cancún during the same period, with three flights a week, as well as regular connections through Denver to Cabo San Lucas, Cozumel, Mazatlán and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo. See www.frontierairlines.com for further information. 7/5/05 |
| La Petit Celebrates all Month In this month of national holidays for Canada (July 1), USA (July 4) and France (July 14), La Petit is celebrating with a month-long series of Thursday night events. On July 7, “Tertulia” will feature former Daiquiri Dick's chef Rafael Nazario in “Sabores y aromas alrededor de un piano” (flavors and aromas around a piano), in which he’ll play his compositions and also comment on his experiences as a chef. A wine tasting will feature tequila and special cheeses, as well as an assortment of wines. On July 14, Cena de Gala will feature Concierto Vive La France, with Jorge Mendoza’s chamber trio with cello, guitar and bass. July 22 offers an extraordinary collection of photographs by Vallartan photographer Arturo Pasos from 1973 when he traveled in conjunction with the circus. In addition, a conversation with Drs. José María Muriá and José Brú will explore the immigration from France to Mexico. For further information and reservations, call La Petit at (322) 293-0901. 7/05/05 |
| Former Splash Becomes Sea Life Park As the summer season begins, the family of dolphins at the newly opened Sea Life Park will be leaping into high form. The former Splash, at the southern entrance to Nuevo Vallarta, is in the last stages of remodeling after the purchase of the installations about two months ago. In the meantime, depending upon reservations, dolphin shows began at 10 am and continue until 4 pm. Offering something for the entire family, Sea Life Park continues to operate the water slides, huge swimming pool, restaurant and snack bars. See www.dolphindiscovery.com for further information. 7/05/05 |
| Tacoma Becomes Vallarta's Sister City Municipal President Gustavo González Villaseñor traveled recently to Tacoma, Washington, just south of Seattle, where a ceremony tied the knot between the cities of Puerto Vallarta and Tacoma as sister cities. Hosted by the northwest city on the Mexican teaching sail ship Cuauhtémoc, Tacoma Mayor Hill Baarsma promised to have and to hold Puerto Vallarta in the highest regard as did Mayor González Villaseñor in turn. Programs for the mutual benefit of both cities are being explored, such as cultural exchanges, sports invitationals, technological aid and promotional support. Others who attended the ceremony included the consuls of Perú and Chile, representatives and diplomats of USA and Mexico, as well as Mexican Consul Jorge Madrazo Cuellar of Washington and Secretary of Tourism of Jalisco Horacio González Pardo. 7/05/05 |
| Tour de las Americas Qualifier Coming to El Tigre The Tour de las Américas announces the fourth consecutive World Cup Qualifier at El Tigre October 5 - 8. More than 20 teams from Latin America, Europe and other parts of the world participate annually in this event as a step on their way to the World Cup, held this year in Algarve, Portugal, November 17 - 20 with a minimum purse of $4 million USD. This 72-hole tournament is operated in the same manner as the World Cup, with fourball the first and third days and alternate shots the second and final days of competition. Says Jesús Carmona, golf director at El Tigre Country Club, “To be part of such a prestigious event for the fourth consecutive year is a great honor.” The course, designed by the Robert von Hagge group, opened in March 2002, featuring a 7,239-yard par 72 with a number of scenic holes with ponds and creeks, as well as the ubiquitous sand traps, typical of Von Hagge. For further information, see www.tourdelasamericas.com or call (322) 297-0774. 7/05/05 |
| TaylorMade Announces Intergenerational Golf Tournaments TaylorMade announces its 19th annual Father and Son World Invitational (TFSWI) and Inaugural Generation Cup (GC) October 25 - 30 at Vista Vallarta Golf Club. In this double feature operated and owned by Championship Golf, participants from around the world are expected to attend this intergenerational event, the first of its kind. Says Pat Mateer, CEO for Championship Golf, “We’ve had many people tell us they wish they could participate in the Father and Son, but couldn’t because either their father or their son aren’t golfers. Under Generation Cup rules, those players can now enlist a partner and join in the fun. The bonding experience is terrific.” While the Father and Son event is open to father or stepfather teams, the generation teams can be made up of two males with an age difference of 15 years or more. Both events will be divided into four flights based on handicap. Special packages including hotel nights and other events are arranged through the Marriott. See www.taylormadefatherson.com or contact Kelly Varesio at (760) 745-3820 for further information. 7/05/05 |
| Rio Amazonas Inaugurated The long-awaited Rio Amazonas, connecting major thoroughfares Francisco Villa with Francisco Medina Ascencio, was inaugurated this week in three acts. Mayor Gustavo González Villaseñor and engineer Jesús Rodríguez Morquecho were prime speakers, as well as ribbon cutters. Issues mentioned in addition to the increased fluidity of traffic were the project to improve drainage in the area, the planting of 60 palm trees along the length of the avenue and the accessibility of Fluvial as a new low-density residential concept. Both speakers concluded that the project, completed to the tune of nearly $50 million pesos, will greatly benefit the residents of Vallarta. Final touches are required to complete the drainage, with pipes that purportedly will allow passage of 1.8 cubic meters of water per second. 7/05/05 |
Jefferson Starship Concert in October |
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