Latin artists put on mega-show to revive Mexican tourism

July 13, 2009 by gulmor under US News

Latin artists put on mega-show to revive Mexican tourism PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico – In a move to entice visitors back to Mexico after the A/H1N1 flu virus scare, over 20 Latin American celebrities got together for “Jalisco en Vivo” (Jalisco Live), a free concert in the coastal resort of Puerto Vallarta. An audience of approximately 100,000 people braved torrential rain during the five hour open-air concert, reported EFE. The 21 June show was produced and financed by Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández and featured artists from Latin America and Spain. “We saw hard times ahead owing to the global crisis, worsened by the swine flu outbreak which seriously affected the country, especially the tourist industry … It was sad to see the seafront in Puerto Vallarta so empty,” Fernández told El Universal. The popular folk singer performed more than 40 songs, many in the company of his talented guests, who also sang their own hits. Spanish stars David Bisbal and Enrique Iglesias joined the list of Latin American performers, which included Colombia’s Fanny Lu, Luis Fonsi from Puerto Rico and Mexican group Belanova. The show also featured León Polar, Aleks Syntek, Reyli, Ha-Ash and Joan Sebastian. Each performer took the chance to praise the beauty of Mexico’s beaches and tourist attractions. David Bisbal told EFE, “Spain and the Spanish people will continue supporting Mexico always,” and thanked the hosts for the warm reception given to visiting artists. Enrique Iglesias told El Universal that “the foreign press exaggerated [the A/H1N1 flu outbreak], but with time and thanks to events like this, people will realise that Mexico is the same as always”. The show was part of the government’s “Vive México” programme, launched on 25 May to revive domestic and international tourism in reaction to the drastic drop in hotel bookings and flights from abroad in the wake of the A/H1N1 flu outbreak. President Felipe Calderón called on figures from the worlds of entertainment, culture, sport and business to work together to ensure that Mexicans and foreigners “once again come and visit every corner of the country”.