Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The Vallarta Botanical Gardens have been unanimously elected as a "Top 10 North American Garden Worth Travelling For in 2013" by an international jury made up of garden tourism leaders from Canada, the United States and Europe. The destination was officially announced on March 19th at the Garden Tourism Conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Vallarta Botanical Gardens are the first Mexican garden to receive this award, which will be presented to the VBG's Executive Staff and Officers on Tuesday, March 26, 2013. Please show a warm Vallarta welcome to our distinguished Canadian guests by visiting the Gardens on this important day. Garden visits are a rapidly expanding sector of the tourism market, so the award is sure to bring secondary benefits to the community as a whole.

Given the approach of the first-ever Vallarta Bugambilias Festival, mounted by the Vallarta Garden Club, this recognition could not have come at a better time for our region to attract an important sector of the travel market.

Additionally, a delegation of the Board of Directors of the National Museum of Mexican Art, the only accredited museum of Mexican art in the United States, recently visited the Gardens and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with us. We have begun to brainstorm collaborative projects that would benefit our organizations and promote tourism to our respective cities — Puerto Vallarta and Chicago Illinois.