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December is a month of good cheer and good wishes, expectations and resolutions, but it also is a time to review what we achieved and what is still pending. I offer a two-part recap of the best and the worst this leap year has included.
2008 will be remembered as the year Puerto Vallarta lost its innocence; the wave of violence that swept the country arrived in our city this year. 2008 has left an indelible mark of shootings and violence.
There were more than a dozen shootings between May and September caused by disputes over territory by drug-related groups. For the first time in its history, the city was filled with military vehicles and numerous State and Federal units patrolling the neighborhoods.
This was also a year of long lines of traffic waiting at the checkpoints near the bridge that crosses the Ameca River. Lines, searches and nighttime worry were the cost we residents had to pay for increased security.
For now, the groups that were battling for “the market” have either left or have settled down. With no recent shootings, we have been allowed to sleep in peace during this last trimester.
**Good Image
It’s been said that our dirty laundry must be washed at home, and fortunately, the news about the shootings has not had great repercussions on a national or international level. Puerto Vallarta and the region continue to be the preferred venue for diverse events. More than 60 tourist and trade expositions and conventions have taken place thus far this year.
With regard to housing, during 2008 it was confirmed that the number of condominium units has surpassed the number of available hotel rooms by more than 18,000 units. While investors continue to build condos, only two new hotels have been opened to date, both owned by international chains in Riviera Nayarit: the Riu Palace Pacific and the Saint Regis in Punta Mita.
The real estate sector confirmed its strength this year by bringing in investments of millions of dollars throughout the bay. That puts this region in second place for private investing in Mexico, just behind Cancún and the Riviera Maya.
**Setbacks
Sadly, the private development has not included new urban construction, resulting in traffic that barely moves along the few main streets.
The poor condition of the streets is one of the primary recurrent symptoms when diagnosing the ailments of the city. At times, it seems that for every pothole that is patched, two more appear in the opposite lane. Toward the end of the year, the mayor announced that all new streets will be paved with hydraulic concrete. There will be no more cobblestone streets built in the city. But like an adolescent with acne, Puerto Vallarta still maintains its enduring charm.
By: Rodrigo López Becerril
edited by admin on 12/3/2008
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