{"id":814075,"date":"2026-07-20T11:56:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T11:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/814075\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T11:56:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T11:56:13","slug":"whats-past-is-past-as-jalisco-spreads-its-magic-in-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/814075\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s past is past as Jalisco spreads its magic in Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

The confrontation between criminal gangs and police forces in the Mexican state of Jalisco in February this year is now fading from the collective memory, but the tourism minister for the state wants to assure Canadians that a holiday there will be safe.<\/p>\n

Jalisco tourism minister Michelle Fridman recently came to Vancouver to spread the safety message through meetings with journalists, referring to the violence on Feb. 22 this year that pitted government special forces against members of a powerful criminal cartel in the state. Many on both sides were killed.<\/p>\n

But she also came with a mission to personally describe and highlight the many tourism qualities of Jalisco that make it the most authentically Mexican destination in the nation, she said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are a state that has everything, we have the beaches, we have mountains, we have important cultural, historical sites and we have Guadalajara, the second biggest city in Mexico,\u201d said Fridman.<\/p>\n

She noted that one of the most famous cultural sites in the country is the town of Tequila, which is located in Jalisco. Jalisco is also the birthplace of mariachi music, a uniquely Mexican art form.<\/p>\n

And she described how Jalisco is home to 12 \u201cPueblos Magicos\u201d \u2014 which translates to Magical Towns. These less visited places have been recognized for their qualities of historical, cultural and architectural charms as well as natural wonders, authentic traditions and cuisine.<\/p>\n

Also within Jalisco\u2019s borders is the famous beach destination of Puerto Vallarta. \u201cPuerto Vallarta is the most authentic beach destination in Mexico,\u201d she continued. \u201cThe beauty of it is in the diversity of experiences that is offered \u2013 not just the beaches and the nature, but also the mountains, the adventure activities, the art and the gastronomy scene. It is a very complete destination.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

She added that there are currently 17 Canadian airports offering flights to Puerto Vallarta, and four Canadian airports with flights to Guadalajara \u2013 Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been coming to Canada a lot because it\u2019s such an important market for us,\u201d said Fridman. \u201cWe want Canadians to know what\u2019s new about Jalisco. And we want them to feel safe about coming to Jalisco.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fridman described how vacationers tend to express a level of concern about travelling to Mexico \u201cbecause unfortunately, there is bad news about Mexico quite frequently. And we happen to live next to a country that likes to amplify that news.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are aware that what happened on February 22 got massive coverage in the media. So, we have been open to explain what happened and to answer any questions.\u00a0We want to tell people that Jalisco is a safe destination, we have been enforcing our security a lot, and it is even safer now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

She backed that up with some statistics, saying for example that the homicide rate\u00a0in Jalisco had decreased by 60% last year. \u201cAlso the homicide rate is three times lower than in New York City,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Organizers of major events are evidently endorsing this message.<\/p>\n

For example, Guadalajara was one of the host cities for the recently concluded FIFA World Cup football tournament, with four games held there. Also, the ITB travel trade market for the Americas is set to start this year in Guadalajara, for at least the next five years, said the tourism minister.<\/p>\n

ITB for the Americas will take place from Nov. 10 to 12, and between 5,000 and 7,000 people are expected to attend.\u00a0\u201cIt will be really big, we have received lots of interest from many different countries.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Tourists and business travellers alike can use the opportunity of a Jalisco visit to explore the new beach resort developments along a scenic stretch of coastline running south from Puerto Vallarta, called the Costa Legre. Luxury properties there include the Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo, which has been recognized as the top resort in Mexico, and the Six Senses Xala, which will open in 2028.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Costa Legre is an emerging destination and it is now receiving new Investments by mostly luxury properties and sustainable brands,\u201d said Fridman. \u201cWe\u2019re working on getting more publicity for this area in the Canadian market.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, \u201cWe love Canadians, we want more Canadians to visit us, and we have great connectivity to our airports in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta,\u201d said Fridman. \u201cSo, they should come and experience this most Mexican of destinations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo Captions<\/p>\n

TOP <\/p>\n

Mariachi music originated in the state of Jalisco<\/p>\n

SECOND PHOTO\u00a0<\/p>\n

Michelle Fridman is the Jalisco minister of tourism<\/p>\n

THIRD PHOTO<\/p>\n

The city of Tequila in Jalisco has been designated as a Pueblos Magicos tourism site<\/p>\n

FOURTH PHOTO\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Bahia de Tenaca is one of the beaches in the Costa Legre region<\/p>\n

FIFTH PHOTO\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Nuestra Se\u00f1ora is in Puerto Vallarta, and is an important cultural site<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The confrontation between criminal gangs and police forces in the Mexican state of Jalisco in February this year…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":814076,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[49,48,187566,285637,44],"class_list":["post-814075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-jalisco","tag-michelle-fridman","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=814075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/814076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=814075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=814075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=814075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}