Puerto Vallarta was a sleepy Mexican town until the movie “The Night of the Iguana,” which was filmed there, was released in 1964. That’s when Hollywood discovered Puerto Vallarta as a vacation destination, and people from other walks of life followed suit.

The town, together with Riviera Nayarit (the stretch of coastline lying just to the north), welcomes more than 4 million visitors a year, and in 2016 that number included 2.3 million from the U.S. and Canada, according to Javier Aranda Pedrero, director general of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board. It’s also a popular cruise port, with 145 ships calling there in 2017.

Home to 22,000 guestrooms, the destination boasts a hotel occupancy rate of over 90 percent in high season (mid-autumn through mid-spring) and at press time was expected to finish 2017 at 75 percent for the year, compared to 70 percent in 2016, Aranda said.

Moreover, Puerto Vallarta was named among the 40 Best Cities in the World and the 20 Best Small Cities in the World in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2017 Reader’s Choice Awards.

But despite such growth and popularity, the destination has maintained its charm and authenticity. In fact, Puerto Vallarta’s most important characteristic—and selling point—is that it’s a real Mexican town that offers much more than 44 miles of beaches.

“It’s an old town,” Aranda said, noting that its Mexican culture is as vibrant as it has always been. “It’s a peaceful place, where people are very friendly.”

The city’s culture is most evident in El Centro (downtown) and Los Muertos Beach—the destination’s historic core, where visitors can mingle with locals at restaurants, bars, nightclubs, boutiques, craft markets and art galleries in the Zona Romantica (Romantic Quarter). They can walk along cobblestone streets and stroll on, the city’s beach promenade.

Situated north of El Centro, Marina Vallarta is a high-end enclave with a marina, upscale hotels, the 18-hole Marina Vallarta Golf Club, and a boardwalk with shops, galleries, and restaurants. The Hotel Zone, featuring a variety of all-inclusive resorts, chain hotels, boutique properties and condominiums, connects the areas.

The tourism corridor also includes Nuevo Vallarta and Punta Mita, luxury resort areas on the northern end of Banderas Bay; and the South Shore, with secluded beaches, coves, and rivers.

Costa Careyes, about an hour and 15 minutes south of Puerto Vallarta, is also growing, with two luxury hotels, by One&Only and Louis Vuitton, under development. There are also plans to develop a small, private airport for visitors, Aranda said.

Because of the destination’s diverse landscape of beaches, mountains and tropical rainforest, the possibilities for outdoor recreation are seemingly endless. Watersports include fishing, kayaking, snorkeling, diving and jet skiing, while land sports include golf, rappelling, mountain biking, hiking, kitesurfing, canopy tours, bungee jumping and parachuting. Visitors also might see wildlife such as whales (November—March), jaguars, iguanas and several of the area’s 350-plus bird species. And guests at some hotels can help release baby turtles into the sea from midsummer through February.

Puerto Vallarta also is known for its culinary offerings, which range from food stands and open-air cafes offering local specialties to fine dining featuring international fare. The Puerto Vallarta Festival Gourmet International in November brings chefs from around the world.

Given its variety of attractions, Puerto Vallarta doesn’t target any particular market in terms of age, budget or interest, Aranda said, adding that there’s an “opportunity for everyone to find what they’re looking for.”

That said, the destination is a big draw for LGBTQ travelers. “For us, the LGBTQ market is very important,” he said, noting that Puerto Vallarta is the most popular Mexican destination for that market. It also attracts seniors, families, younger couples, weddings and groups of friends.

Visitors fly into Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport, which offers nonstop flights from such North American gateways as Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Seattle.

On the agent front, the tourism board attends tradeshows to network with travel advisors, offers seminars and presentations, and hosts fam tours in partnership with wholesalers and airlines. “The presentations will never be the same as bringing travel agents here,” Aranda said. “If they want to know more about Mexico, this is the place. They will feel the Mexican experience.”