Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - At the 2012 International Tourism Fair in Madrid, Spain, an Award of Excellence was given to Puerto Vallarta/Riviera Nayarit. This award acknowledges the great teamwork involved in presenting the two destinations' common project, Tourism Expo 2012.

Puerto Vallarta Mayor Salvador Gonzalez Resendiz accepted the award on behalf of Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit, along with Raul Rodrigo Perez, Secretary of Tourism for the State of Nayarit.

The Excellence Awards were created in 2005 in an effort to promote excellence in various areas related to tourism, culture and cuisine. Since then it has become a respected and sought-after recognition.

The award was presented by the President of the Excellence Group, José Carlos de Santiago, and the Director of the Mexico Group, Consuelo Elipe, with the assistance of Ministers, Secretaries and Tourism officials, personalities, and the national and international press.

Recognized for their work on behalf of Jalisco and Puerto Vallarta/Riviera Nayarit were the Governor of Jalisco, Mr. Emilio Gonzalez Marquez, the Secretary of State Tourism, Mr. Aurelio López Rocha, Director of Promotion for the Ministry of State Tourism, Miguel Gonzalez Gonzalez, Mayor of Puerto Vallarta, Salvador Gonzalez Resendiz, Director of Municipal Tourism Puerto Vallarta, Jose Luis Diaz Borioli, and Director of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Bureau, Guillermo Ochoa Ohem.

The International Tourism Fair is considered to be one of the major tourist events globally and is a valuable platform for countries to promote their products.