Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - If you were wondering what all of the helicopter noise you've been hearing over the last couple days was all about, it was Mexican President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa and his staff preparing for a visit to Los Veranos Canopy Tour.

President Calderón is proving his commitment to increasing tourism in Mexico for 2011. While visiting Puerto Vallarta, he and his three children, along with Mexico Tourism Secretary Gloria Guevara Manzo, security staff and a video team spent a day enjoying the Los Veranos Canopy Tour.

In conjunction with Peter Greenberg of CBS News, Calderón is putting together a one-hour show focusing on tourism in Mexico. In addition to Los Veranos Canopy Tour, the President has visited other places of interest throughout the country.

President Felipe Calderón Decrees 2011 as the Year of Tourism in Mexico
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• He said that the Government of Mexico does not doubt the importance of tourism in the country

• The Minister of Tourism invited all industry stake holders to work collaboratively to put Mexico among the top five countries in tourist importance.

• Entrepreneurs acknowledged the potential our country has and pledged to make efforts to boost this activity

Mexican President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa declared 2011 as the Year of Tourism in Mexico, in order to align all sectors related to this activity to carry out actions that can allow more tourists to make Mexico their main travel destination.

The President said that the wealth of our country's natural resources and cultural heritage are enviable factors that put us on a privileged site in the world for tourism development.

Calderón congratulated the President of the Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce, Services and Tourism (Concanaco-SERVYTUR), Jorge Dávila, for his campaigns in Mexico 'Speak Well' and 'Speak Well and Act Well in Mexico,' because they do great good for the country and gestures like these are what allow us to, little by little, create the right idea in Mexico and the world outside our borders, of what our country really is.

As part of the National Tourism Convention, organized by the Concanaco-SERVYTUR, President Felipe Calderón signed a decree to consider 2011 as the year of tourism in our country. He stated that the importance of tourism in the country is beyond doubt for the Government of Mexico.

The Secretary of Tourism, Gloria Guevara Manzo said that the potential we have in tourism is recognized abroad, that is why it has become a key activity for the development of tourism in our country.

Guevara Manzo said that tourism is very important for Mexico due to what it represents in the generation of jobs, for its participation in the Gross Domestic Product and foreign exchange earnings, but also for what it socially and culturally represents, as it generates and reinforces a sense of belonging and pride in promoting our roots and our natural and cultural diversity.

Globally, Mexico is one of the 10 major countries for tourism, but to be placed among the top five tourist destinations requires a joint and coordinated effort from everyone involved in the sector such as the different levels of government, legislators, business organizations, universities and media communication.

Guevara Manzo stressed that coordinated work will create jobs, enhance and motivate investment, support incomes to improve quality of life in many communities and give sustainability to development.

Meanwhile, Concanaco-SERVYTUR President, Jorge Dávila Flores, said that tourism has great potential in our country, and he invited all the stake holders in this sector to join efforts to promote and publicize the wealth of our country.

He stated that Mexicans now have the challenge of promoting all the riches of our country ourselves in order to encourage tourism.

For more information about Los Veranos Canopy Tours, an exciting eco-adventure that gives people of all ages the chance to explore the indigenous jungle canopy while zipping from tree to tree over the breathtaking Orquidias River in Puerto Vallarta, Click HERE or visit CanopyTours-Vallarta.com.