Mexico Brings Flavours of Nayarit to Canada Britney Hope - PAX News
go to original November 5, 2015

Chef Betty Vázquez, culinary ambassador for the Riviera Nayarit; Richard Zarkin, PR manager of the Riviera Nayarit CVB; Rodrigo Esponda, regional director of North America, Mexico Tourism Board

“The flavours of Nayarit will conquer your heart, through your mouth,” Chef Betty Vázquez, culinary ambassador for Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit, told guests during a travel media lunch event.

Breast of duck, a Chef Vazquez specialty

Chef Vázquez, a culinary master of celebrity status in Nayarit and the surrounding area, served up a selection of regional specialities which succeeded in representing the very essence of Mexico as a destination; primarily, a wealth of variety.

Guests also received an update on the status of Mexico’s tourism from Rodrigo Esponda, regional director of North America, Mexico Tourism Board, who shared that the country has enjoyed significant success since the launch of its “Mexico, Live It to Believe It” campaign in 2013.

“We had a fantastic 2014,” he said. “The last three years have been really robust.”

According to Esponda, the campaign, which featured elements targeting consumers with median household incomes ranging from $75,000 to $100,000-plus, was meant to open the minds of travellers to Mexico and what it has to offer beyond traditional tourism.

The reception to the campaign has been overwhelmingly positive, he reported, citing that Mexico ranks among the 10 most visited destinations in the world.

Richard Zarkin, PR manager of the Riviera Nayarit CVB, was also on-hand to speak to Nayarit’s growing status as a tourism destination, and assured guests that the region remains more or less unscathed by Hurricane Patricia and tourism operations have returned to normal.

Riviera Nayarit is Mexico’s fastest growing destination, Zarkin pointed out, and has experienced an 11 per cent increase in tourism from 2014 so far this year, attributing the success to the importance placed on supporting its local businesses.

“We started as a destination of nature and culture,” he said, “and we’ve continued down that path.”

Riviera Nayarit is due for further growth in 2016 and 2017, with the anticipated openings of W Hotel, One & Only La Mandarina, and the arrival of Cirque du Soleil in 2018 in Nuevo Vallarta.

Mexican gastronomy is another prominent aspect of the destination, with three of its restaurants being listed on “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list, and according to Vázquez, it’s the cultural and historical influences of her country - rooted in tradition but always ever-changing - that produces such unique flavours.

“I remember a few years ago,” Vázquez recalled before introducing the entrada, a curry and mint halibut ceviche inspired by historical Asian influences in Nayarit, “people were saying that fusion was “the new thing” in food. But I say that in Mexico, fusion has always been ‘the thing’.”

Read the original at PAX News.