A
half-dozen new developments, including three mega-resorts, are on
tap for sites in and around Mazatlan, Mexico.
Antonio Ibarra,
secretary of tourism for the state of Sinaloa, described the
projects as "our biggest buildup [in tourism capacity] in 30
years."
The projects
include Diamond Beach, a $1.2 billion development being built along
two miles of beach in the Nuevo Mazatlan area north of the city. 
On the drawing
board south of Mazatlan is Costa Palma, a project "the size of a
whole city" being negotiated with investors from New Zealand,
Ibarra said.
Also south of
Mazatlan, further down the coast near Las Cabras, will be a
6,200-acre resort. The project will be the first development in
Sinaloa to be backed by Fonatur, the government bureau responsible
for tourism promotion.
Ibarra said these
and other projects are expected to spark a doubling of hotel
inventory in the Mazatlan area over the next five years. Mazatlan
currently has 9,000 rooms.
In addition to the
projects outside town, Ibarra said construction was scheduled to
start in 2008 on a 1,200-room Riu resort in Mazatlan's El Cerritos
area.
Also, he said talks
were in progress for a Quinta Real development expected to offer 80
to 100 units in a complex of several buildings in the city's
downtown Historic District.
Another new hotel
in the district will offer 34 rooms in a restored building across
the lane from the Angela Peralta Theater. The hotel, not yet named,
is scheduled to open in December 2007.
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