Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - The LGBT Association of Commerce and Tourism (ACT LGBT A.C.) started the fourth quarter with a series of activities to encourage tourism promotion for the start of the upcoming Winter season in Puerto Vallarta.

During the summer, ACT LGBT team members Julie Guerrero, Vicente Hernández and Bill Hevener met with community leaders to share the good news about the association and the benefits of belonging to it. Julie Guerrero says that "in Mexico, a company or person does not legally exist in the mind of the government unless it is part of a legal partnership, and ACT LGBT has taken bold steps to protect the community and ensure that resources are allocated to this important business sector. Our community will have much more strength when we have at least 300 well-committed members."

"This is a time consuming process and to make sure our message is delivered clearly, we need to meet personally with people to explain the benefits of joining ACT LGBT," says Vicente Hernández.

Since its founding, ACT LGBT has been conducting monthly luncheons to share relevant information with both its members and with the community at large. The next event will be held on Tuesday, October 14th, 2014 with the theme of "How can we make our streets safer," a bilingual talk given by Don Pickens, creator of Taxi Safe. The goal is to raise awareness among participants about the importance of maintaining an appropriate environment for both our guests and ourselves as entrepreneurs. The meeting will be held at 6:30 pm at Taste Restaurant at Casa Cupula. Admission is free.

Over the summer, Playa Los Muertos has seen area entrepreneurs remodeling with unprecedented efforts to give another face to the gay beach in Puerto Vallarta:

Mantamar Beach Club Bar & Grill, connected to the hotel Almar Resort Luxury All Suites & Spa (in its second phase of construction), is a 5-star resort that has an infinity pool, three hot tubs, lounge chairs and a delicious menu, courtesy of Café des Artistes.

The second remodeling is Blue Chairs Resort by the Sea, a complex that has been the center of gay life from the time of Elizabeth Taylor. Its latest venture is to increase its accommodations by 30 suites (8 of which are one room and 2 have roof terraces with stunning views of the bay) to now offer of 89 rooms, 3 hot tubs, and a pool. The hotel is now positioned as a great place for weddings or special events.

Finally, the new Sapphire Ocean Club recently announced that it will open its doors on Los Muertos Beach in October to offer a luxury lounge serving national and international drinks, a bistro with an internationally experienced chef, and a variety of beach and aquatic activities, including Fly-boarding.

With all these changes, recurring and new visitors will find themselves in paradise. A wide variety of boutique hotels and luxury condos are also available within walking distance of these new/refurbished entertainment complexes in Puerto Vallarta's Zona Romantica.

If you're happy with Puerto Vallarta and want to see it grow as an international tourism destination - or if you own a business in Puerto Vallarta or are thinking about opening one and want to learn from other entrepreneurs - send an email to info(at)actlgbt.org and learn how we can help each other.

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The Asociación de Comercios y Turismo (ACT LGBT) is a non-profit organization, representing the various interests of LGBT owned and managed businesses, LGBT friendly businesses, and professionals in Puerto Vallarta, who work together to promote economic growth and prosperity through public and private sector advocacy and to create strategies to strengthen the destination's positioning as a world-class LGBT friendly resort.