Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Mexican President Felipe Calderón issued a call “to break the bottlenecks the country has to free up all its tourist potential” upon inaugurating the Tianguis 2012 tourism fair in Puerto Vallarta this week.

Before hundreds of people gathered at the International Convention Center in Puerto Vallarta, Calderón said that the Tianguis, which for the first time is being held outside Acapulco, “is growing stronger.”

He said that the event, now in its 37th year, will now move from city to city in response to businessmen, buyers, officials, and academics “who suggested taking advantage of this forum to promote the enormous diversity of Mexican tourist destinations.”

The president said that in contrast with the 4,000 attendees in 2011, many of whom had their travel expenses to the event paid for by the government, this year there are 7,000 “who have come on their own.”

Calderón said that "despite the falloff in US tourism, due in part to the often times unfair conditions regarding the perception of our country, more than 23 million international tourists visited Mexico in 2011, not counting those who arrived on cruise ships or by land."

“We have to go for more,” he stated.

Finally, he also cited the “historic” investment in infrastructure made by his administration since 2006, which permits tourists to arrive more easily by land to various destinations. He said that $280 billion pesos ($22 billion USD) has been spent on highways since that time.

The fair, which ends Wednesday, March 28th, was host to thousands of businessmen, tourism organizers, travel agencies, and representatives of the domestic and international tourist industry.