Photo courtesy of Riviera Nayarit

The results are in, and tourism officials are pleased. The Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau (RN CVB) reports that 2015 scored a trifecta for the Pacific Coast destination with growth in revenue, hotel occupancy and visitor satisfaction.

In a nutshell, 2015 figures reflect these increases above 2014 tallies:

• 5.7 percent increase in revenue equaling a $90 million USD bump.

• 4 percent in hotel occupancy from 72 percent in 2015 to 76 percent in 2015.

• 9.7 percent in room nights totaling 3,005,783 room-nights recorded.

• 9.5 average grade of tourist satisfaction.

According to Richard Zarkin, RN CVB’s public relations manager, these numbers serve as a high note, confirming the success of strategies set into motion in collaboration with the Nayarit State Government, and the Banderas Bay, Compostela, and San Blas hotel and motel associations.

READ MORE: Nights in Riviera Nayarit

“The tourism product and experiences that we share with guests are the result of hard-working people in our area,” said Zarkin. “Increased visitors will benefit our proud residents and the destination as a whole. From a wider perspective, this growth reaffirms that we are achieving our goals in marketing Riviera Nayarit as one of the most luxurious destinations in the world.”

Zarkin added that the growth has been a continued upward trend, demonstrating that the still-young destination is becoming more familiar and in-demand with discerning travelers. “We were delighted that within one year of the launch of this destination, that our name and logo were accepted by most of our industry partners in Mexico and around the world,” he said. “This continuity and partnership has been maintained over the years, and has generated the strength of visitation and growth for our region.”

With the U.S. and Canada serving as major markets, the RN CVB increased its visibility across luxury, ecotourism and family travel segments through specific campaigns, plus a range of travel facilities and attractions. The RN CVB also reports that its Promotions and Sales Department “undertook 115 actions that resulted in the training of 10,932 travel agents, plus interactions with 19,740 end consumers and agents in fairs and expos.”

“Some large and notable initiatives included hosting the Family Travel Summit last summer, as well as hosting media events in New York City and Toronto,” said Zarkin. “The resulting coverage and awareness from these initiatives help us to educate the market on our many new products and destination-specific experiences.”

Travel agents can expect more to promote, thanks to the arrival of W Hotel Punta de Mita, set to be completed this year. “We expect that its contemporary design and overall guest experience will generate a lot of buzz and excitement,” Zarkin said.  Also set to roll out in 2016 is an inner harbor project in Bucerias that will install artificial reefs and a new boardwalk. “We also look forward to an exciting Cirque du Soleil entertainment center at the Mayan Resorts,” Zarkin said.

Accolades Enhance the Stats

On Feb. 19, the RN CVB announced that it has recently garnered a Travvy Award from travAlliancemedia, one Gold and two Silver Adrian Awards from Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI), and one additional America Automobile Association (AAA) Four Diamond hotel rating to its already stellar roster of praises by these three acclaimed organizations.

READ MORE: Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit Earns AAA Five Diamond Award

“We are only six weeks into 2016, but already we feel like the year is off to an unbelievable start,” said Zarkin. “The entire Riviera Nayarit CVB is both humbled and motivated to continue sharing our beautiful destination with travelers from all over the world. With all of the exciting new developments ahead, we know that the best is yet to come for our destination. And we look forward to representing the finest experiences that Mexico has to offer.”   

For more details on the Riviera Nayarit destination, visit RivieraNayarit.com.

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