Puerto Vallarta Tourism Pacing Another Record Year

Image: PHOTO: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. (photo via Flickr/Anthony Gonzalez Reyes)
Image: PHOTO: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. (photo via Flickr/Anthony Gonzalez Reyes)
Patrick Clarke
by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 5:26 PM ET, Tue August 15, 2017

Puerto Vallarta and Mexico's tourism industry have set a blistering pace over the first half of 2017, the destination's tourism board announced Tuesday.

The resort city is currently on schedule to host a record number of visitors this year.

The Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board reported a more than six percent increase in hotel occupancy over the first six months of 2017. Puerto Vallarta also reported an occupancy rate of close to 90 percent for the months of January through June. For comparison, the city reported 73 percent occupancy in 2016 and 70 percent during 2015.

Throughout the first six months, international passenger arrivals to Puerto Vallarta International Airport increased by more than 12 percent, compared to the same period in 2016, with 1,843,600 foreign travelers passing through the airport.

Passengers visiting Puerto Vallarta on cruise calls reached 189,324 over the first half of 2017, marking a two percent increase from last year.

The city is coming off one of its best years ever during 2016, in which it hosted nearly four million international and national tourists. At the moment, it appears poised to celebrate another phenomenal tourism year in 2017.

[READMORE]READ MORE: Mexico's Little Known Happy Coast[/READMORE]

Puerto Vallarta's encouraging tourism growth can be attributed to its tourism board's relentless campaigning efforts as well as its world-class beaches, hotels and restaurants.

The city has also long been one of the world's most LGBT-friendly destinations. As TravelPulse's Janeen Christoff reported in April, LGBT visitors account for 15 to 20 percent of Puerto Vallarta's visitor arrivals in a given year.


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Patrick Clarke

Patrick Clarke

Senior Editor

A Maryland native and wanderer who has lived across the U.S. from North Carolina to SoCal, Patrick Clarke graduated from Towson University with a B.S. in journalism. He previously worked for Bleacher

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