July 8, 2013 -US investment in Mex. tourism (LATIN AMERICA HERALD TRIBUNE JUNE 8, 2013)

U.S. Tourism Company to Invest $600 Million in Mexico

MEXICO CITY – U.S.-based Apple Leisure Group plans to invest $600 million in six projects that will create more than 4,000 jobs in Mexico, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto said.

The funds will be used to construct new facilities and expand existing properties in Jalisco, Baja California Sur and Quintana Roo states, Peña Nieto said during a ceremony at the Los Pinos presidential residence.

The properties are expected to generate sales of more than $350 million in their first year of operation, the president said.

“Mexico will become a world tourism power” via a strategy of “modernizing and repositioning” in the global market, Peña Nieto said.

Apple Leisure Group’s investment will expand hotel offerings in Cancun, the Riviera Maya, Cozumel, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta, the president said.

The investment is coming as Mexico experiences “good times ... as a destination for global investment and as an attractive international tourism destination,” Peña Nieto said. EFE