DALLAS — May 31, 2024 — Continuing its work to position its vast tourism offering in front of the U.S. and Canadian travel and tourism markets, the Ministry of Tourism of the Mexican state of Nayarit has become an official ASTA member and has exhibited at the ASTA Travel Advisor Conference for the first time.

The Ministry has been working diligently to build awareness of the tourism regions it oversees — such as the Riviera Nayarit, the Sierra Madre Mountains, its archipelago and its volcanic region, as well as nine Pueblos Magicos, or Magical Towns — and the state’s important place in both Mexican and U.S. history. Important milestones reached in the tourism industry this year include not only joining ASTA but becoming a member of USTOA and a Virtuoso Preferred Destination, all for the first time.

The destination, which saw the opening of the new Riviera Nayarit International Airport (TPQ) late last year, has also stared a Nayarit Specialist Program with NorthStar Travel Group to help members of the travel industry learn more about the state’s offering in a more detailed, educational format. To learn more on the program, please click here.

The ASTA Travel Advisor Conference, this year held in Dallas from May 29 to 31, is one of the most highly attended travel industry events in the U.S., with more than 1,000 qualified travel professionals attending. Its main objective is to provide key industry players a platform to interact and find “new and innovative ways to sell travel and get guidance on how to effectively run and grow a travel business.”

The state of Nayarit exhibited at Booth #1283, where it highlighted its Wixárika indigenous mythology — with its famed Ojos de Dios, or “Eyes of God” woven talismans and beaded handiworks — as well as its local gastronomy, outdoor adventure offerings and 200 miles of pristine coastline.

Nayarit has recently undertaken a number of initiatives to create a sustainable tourism offering that benefits all, including the new international airport, an updated road system that puts all points in the state within a two-hour drive of one other and the opening of the UNESCO-protected Islas Marias off the port of San Blas in the north.