The newly expanded Riviera Nayarit airport provides an alternative gateway, offering access from Nayarit's capital, Tepic, to the coast in 40 minutes.
The airport launched a direct flight with Volaris from Los Angeles in July, and international service is expected to grow. And even with domestic connections, the airport offers a more convenient launch point than Puerto Vallarta for visitors heading to points north in Nayarit.
Assisting with access, the state of Nayarit is rolling out the Riviera Nayarit Express, a structured shuttle service linking Tepic Airport with the region's main tourist towns. Travelers will soon be able to hop off the plane and hop onto a shuttle bus that will whisk them to Sayulita, San Pancho, Punta Mita, San Blas, Guayabitos, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle and Nuevo Nayarit.
For those who are traveling to the region from Puerto Vallarta, highway improvements are also reshaping travel times.
The new 20-mile stretch of the Guadalajara-Puerto Vallarta highway between La Florida and La Cruz de Huanacaxtle has cut the drive between Puerto Vallarta and the luxury Mandarina development to 40 minutes. An additional stretch of highway stretching farther north is expected to be completed by October.
The combination of new infrastructure and hotel development is moving the northern Riviera Nayarit from a frontier to a formed destination portfolio. With the infrastructure linking Tepic's new airport to the coast, advisors can now craft itineraries that range from rustic to refined. For clients, it means more options on Mexico's Pacific beyond the Bay of Banderas.