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Mexico's next big resort by Christine Delsol -- Larry Habegger - San Francisco Chronical
Mexico's next big resort due
Christine Delsol -- Larry Habegger
San Francisco Chronical
Sunday, January 29, 2006
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Mexico's first Cancún-style resort development in 20 years is scheduled to open its first phase by December on the Pacific coast, 30 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta, said John McCarthy, director of Fonatur, the government's tourism development agency.
At the same time, Fonatur and private investors are breathing new life into another project in Baja California, on the outskirts of Loreto, that stalled in the 1980s.
The first stage of the new development in the coastal state of Nayarit, to be called Litibu, will include an 18-hole Greg Norman golf course, upscale residences, shopping and beach clubs. Fonatur will make improvements in the adjacent old village, McCarthy said, while preserving its quaint colonial character.
"People want the colors and smells you get only in the villages," said McCarthy. He said Fonatur, which also is implementing master plans in other regions that don't have government-funded mega-resorts, is taking Mexican travelers into consideration. The aim is to provide for budget as well as upscale travelers while accommodating an influx of visitors expected to double by 2025 from 20 million to 40 million.
Fonatur's renewed vigor is largely a result of consistency, said McCarthy, who will reach the milestone of being the longest-running director of Fonatur in March. The agency has had 13 directors in its 31 years.
