Puerto Vallarta Will Host a Record-Breaking Gala Puerto Vallarta-Riviera Nayarit 2019

NEW YORK - Feb. 7, 2019 - PRLog -- The most important tourism trade event on Mexico's Pacific Coast, Gala Puerto Vallarta-Riviera Nayarit 2019, will take place at Puerto Vallarta's International Convention Center on February 11 and 12, with an opening reception taking place on February 11, in Riviera Nayarit. Now celebrating its 25^th edition, Gala will connect local hotels and other tourism businesses from the Bay of Banderas with leading trade partners from around the world.

Gala participants will be taking part in more than 1,300 45-minute, pre-scheduled B2B meetings between tourism industry partners and 96 hotels in the region. This year, the event will set a new record in attendance, with a total of 89 national and international wholesaler participants, representing a 32% jump in attendance compared to 2018, when Gala welcomed 66 wholesalers.

The Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board will be meeting with trade partners who are fully invested in the market position of the destination. Gala will include the third meeting of the region's Advisory Board, which is made up of key wholesalers and airlines, to look at ways to continue growth in the region.

"The success of Gala is reflected in the constant increase in air connectivity to the Puerto Vallarta International Airport, which has allowed hotel occupancy rates in both tourist destinations to continue increasing," said Javier Aranda, Director of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board. "This increase is due, in part, to the negotiations that are achieved within the framework of this event."

Representatives from Mexico's federal, state and municipal governments will also be on hand, along with other members of the region's tourism sector. In addition, more than 60 journalists from tourism media will be on hand to report on the latest news from the destination.

"Puerto Vallarta is ready to welcome the many tourism industry representatives traveling from around to world to our shores," said Aranda. "We look forward to presenting our infrastructure and the continuous growth across our city and micro-destinations that surround Puerto Vallarta."

International arrivals also increased, with the airport reporting 2% growth in arrivals of foreign nationals, or 1,580,600 people. This number is expected to increase in 2019 with new frequencies from Hamilton, Ontario, and Abbotsford, British Columbia, via Canadian airline Swoop, as well as Las Vegas, from U.S. carrier Sun Country Airlines.

Gala Puerto Vallarta-Riviera Nayarit first emerged as Gala Weekend 25 years ago, as an initiative headed by Puerto Vallarta's Hotel Association. It soon became known as Gala Vallarta and, later, thanks to the swift pace of development of the regional tourism infrastructure and the creation of the Riviera Nayarit brand, was rechristened Gala Puerto Vallarta-Riviera Nayarit.

For more information on Puerto Vallarta, visit www.visitpuertovallarta.com