Southwest Airlines filed its application with the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide daily, nonstop service between John Wayne Airport, Orange County (Santa Ana, California) and the Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport in Puerto Vallarta, beginning June 7, 2015.

This is a result of the constant efforts of the Vallarta-Nayarit joint campaign to increase airlift to the area. After two years of negotiations, Southwest Airlines will finally fly into our destination.

The sales director for the Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, Tomás Ramírez, was the bearer of good news to the directors of the Riviera Nayarit and Puerto Vallarta convention and visitors bureaus, Marc Murphy and Miguel Andrés Hernández, respectively.

The airline sent out its own press release where it mentioned this would be its ninth international destination. The daily, nonstop service is subject to approvals from relevant governmental agencies.

“Extending our route map to the beautiful region surrounding Puerto Vallarta on Mexico’s Pacific Coast is an exciting opportunity for Southwest and our Customers across the United States,” said Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines Chairman, President and CEO.

One of the determining factors to reach this objective was the insistence in bringing in the flight, but the significant increase in tourism that has come to the bay thanks to the joint campaign is another important factor. The joint efforts between the Mexico Tourism Board (MTB), the state governments of Jalisco and Nayarit, the destinations of Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit, as well as the Joint Promotions Committee, continue to bear fruit.

This is one more step in the continuation of the tourism recovery in the region. It’s important to point out the airline already has airlift to Los Cabos and Cancun, meaning the clients can choose to visit Vallarta-Nayarit for their next vacations.

Vallarta-Nayarit, www.vallarta-nayarit.com