Great Results for Puerto Vallarta at Gala 2025

After two days of meetings between the region's tourism industry and its strategic partners, Puerto Vallarta achieved very positive results, reaching important agreements to ensure the destination remains a national leader in tourism.

With a busy schedule of meetings, representatives of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Trust met with their business partners to review the scope of the strategies implemented in 2024 and outline courses of action to take advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead in 2025.

During these meetings, alliances were strengthened with wholesalers and business partners in the United States and Canada with the goal of continuing to increase reservations to Puerto Vallarta in the North American market, the most important international market for the destination.

Some of the strategic partners with whom we had the opportunity to meet were Expedia, Grupo Despegar / BestDay, PriceTravel, ALG Vacations, Beautiful Destinations, Hopper, Pleasant Holidays, Sun Country, and airlines such as Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta, TAR, and Viva.

One of the highlights was the joint meeting with Sunwing and WestJet, where they shared the progress of their merger and analyzed market performance following the current situation between Canada and the United States.

In the case of WestJet—the airline that brings the largest number of Canadians to Puerto Vallarta—it reported a 4.13% increase in room nights generated and a 16% increase in seats to the destination compared to 2023. In addition to the current international context, additional operations from Canada are anticipated for the upcoming summer season.

In general, feedback from international airlines indicates that Puerto Vallarta is the Mexican destination with the best performance in 2025, so they will seek to increase the supply of seats to the destination to generate more competitive fares.

Nationwide, wholesale agencies report over 10% growth in sales to the destination compared to the same period last year. Given this promising outlook, specific strategies and actions have been implemented to ensure Puerto Vallarta remains the leader in occupancy during the Easter and summer seasons.

In addition to meetings with wholesalers and airlines, there were also meetings with hosted buyers from niche markets such as luxury, romance, and LGBTQ+, as well as with CONEXSTUR partners and wholesalers from Central and South America who attended in conjunction with Volaris.

Additionally, a meeting was held with key international partners at the Advisory Board, where they had the opportunity to discuss the status of the tourism business for the destination, international trends, and the opportunities they represent. During this meeting, TripAdvisor and Expedia shared relevant data that will undoubtedly help plan tactical actions for 2025.

It's worth noting that in 2024, Puerto Vallarta earned four awards at the Travvy Awards, was ranked among the best small cities in the world and best beaches in North America at the Condé Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards, was recognized at Travel Weekly's Magellan Awards, and is among the top 10 most visited international destinations by American tourists, according to figures shared by Tripadvisor.

The work agenda also prioritized continuing to strengthen and promote mobility within Jalisco through circuit trips in partnership with Guadalajara, Costalegre, and the state's 12 magical towns, seeking to extend the average stay in the destination and achieve greater economic benefits throughout the state.

In addition to her prominent participation in the event, Jalisco's Secretary of Tourism, Michelle Fridman Hirsch, visited Puerto Vallarta International Airport to oversee the progress of a modern second terminal, currently under construction with an investment of 1.944 billion pesos. The terminal will be LEED Gold certified for meeting important sustainability criteria.

Thus, the Jalisco Tourism Secretariat and the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Trust conclude a successful participation in Gala 2025, strengthening the industry and expanding business opportunities, which will undoubtedly benefit the destination and its tourism sector.

Source: Visit Puerto Vallarta.