Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican beach resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean’s Bahía de Banderas. Puerto Vallarta’s population is well over 200,000 people making it the fifth largest city in the state of Jalisco, and the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area. The city is located at 20°40′N 105°16′W. The municipality has an area of 502.19 square miles. To the north it borders the southwest part of the state of Nayarit. To the east it borders the municipality of Mascota and San Sebastián del Oeste, and to the south it borders the municipalities of Talpa de Allende and Cabo Corriente.
Puerto Vallarta was once named as La ciudad más amigable del mundo which stands for “The Friendliest City in the World” When entering Nayarit the sign reads this. Today, the presence of numerous sidewalk touts promoting their city and tequila render the city’s atmosphere more akin to tourist-heavy resorts like Cancun and Acapulco, but overall the city’s reputation remains relatively undiminished. Tourism in Puerto Vallarta has increased steadily over the years and makes up for 50% of the city’s economic activity. The high season for international tourism in Puerto Vallarta extends from late November through March (or later depending on the timing of the college Spring Break period in the USA.) The city is especially popular with US residents from the western U.S. because of the sheer number of direct flights between Puerto Vallarta and Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Sacramento, and oyher western states. The city is also popular with tourists from western Canada with a number of direct scheduled and charter flights from western Canadian cities.
Puerto Vallarta is also a highly popular vacation spot for domestic tourists. It is a popular weekend destination for residents of Guadalajara, and a popular national destination for vacations such as Easter and Christmas. Also in recent years Acapulco has become less of a tourist attraction and consequently Puerto Vallarta has absorbed a lot of the Mexico City resort vacation business. Puerto Vallarta has become a popular retirement destination for US and Canadian retirees. This trend has spawned a condominium development boom in the city. Rapid growth in tourist volume in Puerto Vallarta has given rise to rapid growth in hotel and rental apartment construction. This growth has spilled over from the city limits into Nuevo Vallarta in the neighboring state of Nayarit. The area is one of the fastest growing regions in the Americas.