Can growth and sustainability coexist in Puerto Vallarta?

On a calm greeting successful Puerto Vallarta, fishermen inactive formed their nets on the Bay of Banderas arsenic humpback whales breach offshore. But down the postcard views, cranes loom implicit caller condominium towers and bulldozers reshape once-fertile farmland. The city’s accelerated maturation is undeniable, and with the airport’s enlargement good underway and acceptable for opening successful 2026, determination are nary signs of slowing down. The questions astir whether oregon not Puerto Vallarta’s quality tin beryllium sustained without losing what makes the portion bonzer is apical of caput for section environmentalists and residents.

“Puerto Vallarta remains a singular destination with the mountains and ocean,” says Astrid Frisch Jordan, operations manager astatine Ecotours Vallarta. “But implicit the past decade, maturation has accelerated dramatically. Without regulations to sphere definite areas, it volition go progressively hard to support the situation and peoples’ mode of life.”

Looking retired implicit the Bay of Banderas, it mightiness look unusual to deliberation the portion is astatine hazard from mediocre infrastructure and accelerated development. (Nuevo Vallarta Tours)

For Frisch and her partner, Karel Beets, laminitis of Ecotours Vallarta, the situation lies not lone successful the gait of improvement but successful however evenly the city’s infrastructure has kept up.

“Cities don’t ever grow successful measurement with captious services specified arsenic h2o supply, electricity, and sewage treatment,” Beets notes.

The surge successful abrogation rentals, caller residents, and seasonal tourism places unpredictable unit connected those systems.

“Much of the maturation is driven by a floating population,” Frisch says. “At definite times of the twelvemonth we are astatine capacity, portion others it’s little intense.”

Puerto Vallarta’s leaders are alert of the stakes. This month, section concern leaders from the Puerto Vallarta and Bahia de Banderas Business Association met with municipal officials to reappraisal the city’s caller Territorial Planning Plan, a guiding papers designed to negociate municipality maturation and safeguard the city’s entreaty arsenic a apical tourer destination. 

The gathering addressed galore of the concerns raised by Frisch and Beets: ensuring reliable h2o supplies, upgrading sewage and drainage systems, expanding recycling and discarded collection, and aligning improvement with stream drainage patterns to support coastal waters. Officials besides presented proposals for greenish corridors, tree-planting initiatives, and contamination monitoring. 

The challenges aren’t conscionable anecdotal. A 2023 study, “Towards a Smart Tourist Destination: Improving Quality of Life successful Puerto Vallarta” successful the International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, recovered that the Puerto Vallarta Metropolitan Zone, spanning 2 states and 3 municipalities, remains astatine a basal level successful respective areas captious to sustainable tourism. 

A caller improvement place the city. (Wonderlane/Flickr)

The research, which surveyed residents, tourists, and authorities representatives, revealed that governance and inclusion are the astir important weaknesses. Locals reported mediocre coordination betwixt government, businesses, and society, arsenic good arsenic constricted information successful decision-making. Tourists noted the deficiency of integration of section communities into tourism activities and the beingness of segregated areas.

The probe emphasized that sustainable improvement is simply a pressing need, peculiarly successful managing biology limitations and earthy resources responsibly. The ICT (Information and Communication Technology) infrastructure for tourism accusation is underdeveloped, limiting some visitant experiences and assemblage engagement. 

The survey recommended strengthening governance frameworks, improving ICT access, ensuring inclusive tourism benefits, adopting sustainable territorial planning, and prioritizing biology preservation. 

Beyond municipality planning, Ecotours Vallarta sees the biology interaction firsthand. More radical connected the beaches, successful the ocean, and the surrounding mountains means much unit connected the wildlife that draws visitors successful the archetypal place.

“We are astatine a captious infinitesimal successful presumption of protecting this place,” Frisch says. “Wildlife is 1 of our top assets, but it is nether expanding pressure. Development is outpacing infrastructure and regulation, yet we, on with the authorities and the community, are moving to support up, due to the fact that radical privation this destination to stay sustainable.”

Ecotours incorporates conservation into its concern exemplary by offering small-group tours led by biologists and partnering with organizations specified arsenic the Boca de Tomates Turtle Camp and Ecologia y Conservacion de Ballenas. Guests lend straight done donations and activities, from releasing turtle hatchlings to assisting successful whale research. 

For Frisch and Beets, sustainability is not solely the work of the city. Travelers themselves play a decisive role.

Tourists flock to Puerto Vallarta for it’s nature, including whale watching. (Explora Vallarta)

“Visitors person much power than they whitethorn realize,” said Frisch. “Mexicans are people welcoming, and we purpose to marque radical happy. Sometimes operators volition crook the rules to delight guests, but it tin enactment successful the other direction, too. If a tourer says, ‘I’d similar not to usage a integrative straw,’ oregon during whale watching, ‘We look to beryllium excessively adjacent to the animals,’ that feedback has existent impact.”

They promote travelers to question retired operators who travel biology regulations, probe section rules earlier booking activities, and take experiences that prioritize ecological integrity implicit convenience.

“Avoiding single-use plastics is an important step, but it’s arsenic important to recognize why,” said Beets.

Astrid shares an anecdote astir requests for pitchy skis operators to decorate their vehicles with balloons for guests for celebratory events similar proposals oregon birthdays. “It looks bully for the photo, but fewer radical recognize that balloons tin beryllium fatal to marine life.”

In 2024, Luis Ernesto Munguía González was elected politician nether the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico, signaling authoritative designation that unchecked improvement indispensable beryllium mitigated. His medication has emphasized biology priorities, but reception has been mixed. Supporters praise his committedness to sustainability connected paper, portion critics question the effectiveness and enforcement of his policies amid relentless operation and tourism growth. 

The Territorial Planning Plan, presently nether discussion, on with calls from academics, conservationists, and concern leaders, offers an accidental to usher Puerto Vallarta toward a much sustainable future. The situation is coordinating crossed aggregate jurisdictions to acceptable wide regulations, put successful infrastructure, and amended some residents and visitors.

For Ecotours Vallarta, the mode guardant depends connected preserving the bay’s earthy treasures. “We are astatine our limit,” Frisch warns. “We could suffer the precise qualities that marque this spot special. Achieving equilibrium is the lone mode to guarantee that this bay remains the paradise it is.”

And portion the cranes proceed to plaything and the tides proceed to rotation in, the cardinal question remains: tin Puerto Vallarta proceed to turn without eroding its essence? For now, the reply volition beryllium connected the corporate choices of policymakers, concern leaders, residents, and travelers, each of whom clasp a involvement successful protecting the bay.

Meagan Drillinger is simply a New York autochthonal who has spent the past 15 years traveling astir and penning astir Mexico. While she’s connected the roadworthy for assignments astir of the time, Puerto Vallarta is her location base. Follow her travels connected Instagram astatine @drillinjourneys oregon done her blog astatine drillinjourneys.com.