by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:50 AM ET, Fri December 8, 2023
A tourism development company in Mexico announced plans to
build an ultra-luxury resort and residential project on the coast of Jalisco,
dubbed Xala, for around $1 billion.
The Xala project will be led by the team behind the
world-renowned Mandarina, a luxurious coastal development on the Pacific coast,
and located on 3,000
acres in the Costalegre region, south of Puerto Vallarta, according to
Bloomberg.com.
Xala will feature at least two luxury hotels and 100
vacation residences, with brands like Four Seasons and One and Only expected to
contribute to the new development, which is believed to be one of the most
expensive tourism projects in recent Mexican history.
The development team said the first phase of the Costalegre project
is a 51-villa Six Senses hotel, set to be completed by 2026. Each suite will boast
its own private pool.
To help travelers get to the secluded region, the new
Chacalatepec International Airport is expected to open next year, and the
Jalisco Tourism Ministry is working with the local government to invest 17
million pesos in a highway redevelopment project to link the region.
In addition, Xala will restore
and protect the local environment. The project already calls for
reforesting nearly 250 hectares of land, with 590 hectares preserved as a
protected area. It will also create programs to protect the region’s reptiles,
turtles, ocelots and other endangered species.
“As there was no infrastructure, much of Costalegre has been
preserved,” Tourist Assets of Mexico (Actur) managing partner Ricardo Santa
Cruz said. “For me, that is why it has the greatest potential for sustainable
tourism in Mexico.”
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