Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - On July 8, a planeload of visitors from Orange County, California, were greeted at the Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport with a welcome cocktail and a press conference to celebrate Southwest Airlines' anniversary and the increase in tourism that this new flight represents for both Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit.

"We felt very welcome right from the start," commented Sergio Hurtado, Director of International Operations for Southwest. "From the moment we received the invitation to begin flying into these destinations we have had the full support of the airport and the governments of Jalisco and Nayarit, so we're very pleased."

During the event two additional daily Southwest flights to the Banderas Bay region were announced for this year: one from Houston to arrive on October 15th and the second one from Denver to start November 1st.

"It's unusual for an airline to open a new destination and then double - and in this case triple - the number of flights as quickly as we're doing in Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit," added Hurtado.

The conference was attended by state authorities including Catalina Ruiz, Secretary of Tourism for Nayarit and Ludwig Estrada, Regional Director for the Jalisco Tourism Board on the North Coast, who welcomed the airline and thanked Southwest for placing its trust in this tourist region.

Also at the head table were the mayors of Banderas Bay and Puerto Vallarta, José Gómez and Javier Pelayo, respectively, as well as Francisco Villaseñor, Managing Director of the Airport. Other attendees included several business associates who have been active participants in the joint campaign.

In closing, the Southwest Airlines personnel received a welcome surprise from the destinations with the arrival of a cake and a Mariachi youth group singing the traditional "Las Mañanitas" birthday song in celebration of this successful airline's 44th anniversary.