RIVIERA NAYARIT CONDUCTS MARCH 2009 VIDEO TOURIST SURVEY;

03-19-2009

 VACATIONERS SAFE, SMILING AND PLANNING TO RETURN

Don't just take it from us...hear what Riviera Nayarit's visitors have to say for themselves at www.RivieraNayarit.com

Riviera Nayarit, Mexico (March 20, 2009) - In response to security concerns, the Riviera Nayarit CVB has just completed a video survey of departing visitors, including tourists and travel professionals.   Over a three day period in early March, dozens of video surveys were conducted of both tourists and travel professionals.  The interviews captured high praise of the destination including the warmth of its people and the sense of safety enjoyed while visiting the tourist area.  

Following are excerpts of quotes from visitors and travel professionals participating in the tourism survey, which can be seen and heard at www.RivieraNayarit.com/buzznow:

• "It keeps getting better.  We rent a car, we find things to explore. We drove to San Sebastian and had a wonderful trip... it's our own little corner of paradise,"  - repeat vacationer to Riviera Nayarit, Leonard Margolis from the United States.

• "If you're asking would I be fearful, no, I'm not. I wouldn't bring my friends if I was fearful,"  - repeat vacationer to Riviera Nayarit, Karla Caral from Canada

• "It's so beautiful, peaceful and the people are wonderful.  You can do everything you want or you can do nothing," -  travel professional, Lisa McGrath from Travel Exchange

• "We took the San Sebastian trip up into the mountains and we felt safe and secure the entire time, people are very friendly here," -  vacationer, Nichols Kuenzi from the United States

The overall sentiment of the majority of visitors surveyed was offered by David Beck of Canada, vacationing in the tourist town of Flamingos who said, ""I will be back...it's nice and safe and beautiful."

Marc Murphy, Director of the Riviera Nayarit CVB affirmed the area's safety and security saying, "Riviera Nayarit has always taken visitor security very seriously, long before the recent negative publicity being reported about other areas in the country.  As a result our destination and the state of Nayarit have not had any incidents."  Murphy added, "It has always been standard operating procedure for our State Police to monitor border crossings from other states and tourist areas to ensure the highest levels of safety possible for visitors and residents in the area.  In addition, the three hotel associations in Riviera Nayarit sponsor a special "Tourist Police" program to provide additional security as well as provide assistance to visitors."

The Riviera Nayarit video survey mirrors the responses to the Funjet survey that also took place from March 6 - 15, 2009 and yielded more than 900 responses from travelers who took a vacation to Mexico between October 2008 and March 2009. The Funjet results were overwhelmingly positive with 97% of those surveyed indicating they would return to Mexico for another vacation and 90% of all respondents agreeing to the statement "I felt safe and secure." Of the respondents who agreed to feeling safe and secure, 92% traveled in 2009 and 88% traveled in 2008, indicating that a growing number of travelers felt safe and secure in Mexico in 2009.

North American media too, in recognition of the extraordinary potential for this region and its abundance of affordable accommodations and activities, have praised Riviera Nayarit and recommend it to their readers. In late 2008, SmarterTravel.com listed Riviera Nayarit first in its top five destinations to watch for 2009. In early 2009, Riviera Nayarit was also cited as a top destination for 2009 by CheapFlights.com, Hideaways Magazine and BudgetTravel.com.

About Riviera Nayarit

Riviera Nayarit is Mexico's newest travel destination stretching along 192 miles of pristine Pacific coast framed by spectacular mountains to the north of renowned Puerto Vallarta.  Mostly undeveloped, the destination extends along the entire coast of the Pacific state of Nayarit including the resorts of  Nuevo Vallarta,  the  historic, colonial town of San Blas, exclusive Punta Mita and the spectacular Banderas Bay. The region features luxury resorts and eco-tourism boutique hotels, world-renowned surfing, four professional golf courses, rare native wildlife including sea turtles and tropical birds, mountain and island adventures, shopping for local artwork and traditional Huichol handicrafts, charming fishing towns and miles of serene beaches. For more information, visit: www.RivieraNayarit.com.

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