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EJIDO CELESTINO GASCA VILLASENORAn investment opportunity in the Riviera Sea of Cortes
One of the largest privately owned U.S. title insured tracts of land in Sonora, Mexico, with 8.4 miles of beautiful sandy beaches and 6667 acres of ocean view in the Riviera Sea of Cortes, is the Ejido General Celestino Gasca Villaseñor.
Currently being offered for sale, still at pre-development prices, and directly through its owners, Ejido Celestino Gasca sits in the core of the Regional Master Plan Riviera Mar de Cortes: 2007-2030, announced by the Governor of Sonora Eduardo Bours Castelo, as the most important project in the State of Sonora and the largest regional master plan ever seen in the Mexican Republic.
Regional Master Plan Riviera Mar de Cortés: 2007-2030
The Regional Master Plan Riviera Mar de Cortes (RMP RMC) includes the creation and development of 5 new tourism destinations along 350-miles of coastline located between San Luis Rio Colorado and Guaymas. As Integrally Planned Tourism Projects, the new destinations are: (1) El Golfo de Santa Clara, (2) Bahía de San Francisquito, (3) Puerto Lobos, (4) Puerto Libertad and (5) Bahía Jojobal. The Ejido Celestino Gasca is part of the Integral Tourism Project “Puerto Lobos”.
The RMP RMC aims to place the Sonoran Riviera among the top travel destinations of the world and turn it into a landmark of a well-planified tourism development at worldwide level. It aims to become a prime example of environmentally friendly development, putting strong emphasis on eco-tourism and renewable energy, in order to enable the Sonoran Riviera to position itself as a destination of choice for both national and international visitors.
Taking advantage of the spectacular landscaping fusion of the sonorant desert with the biodiversity of the Sea of Cortes –the Aquarium of the World by Jacques Cousteau– the Riviera offers a high and unique degree of diversity, with an existing residential-tourist demand in the American market, with option to be inserted in new markets: Canada, Europe, China, South America and national, in a context in which the desert ecosystem acquires worldwide relevance as a tourist destination: e.g. United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Chile, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt.
To coordinate the efforts for the design, development and implementation of the PMR RMP, Governor Eduardo Bours Castelo formed in 2005 the Sonoran Strategic Projects Operator www.impulsor.com.mx, a JP Morgan bank trust, integrated by both public and private sector, whose main objective is to coordinate government agencies, attract investment capital and promote public-private partnerships for infrastructure development in the Riviera.
The creation of regional infrastructure in the Riviera Mar de Cortes has already begun with the construction of the Sonoran Coastal Highway, the new Puerto Peñasco International Airport, the Nautical Ladder –a series of marinas for the cruise ship lines and boaters– among other actions. The Coastal Highway’s second phase –currently under construction– known as El Desemboque-Puerto Libertad, is a scenic corridor that runs directly through the Ejido Celestino Gasca, with splendid ocean view.
Alliance Impulsor-Ejido Celestino Gasca
With the goal of generating basic infrastructure components like waterways, electricity, water supply, drainage, sewerage and solid waste disposal systems for tourism development in the Ejido Celestino Gasca, a joint venture between Impulsor and the Ejido was signed recently. This important alliance, which will be shortly announced by the Governor of Sonora Eduardo Bours Castelo, includes the development of a tourist-residential master plan in Parcel 1 of the Ejido, within at least 100 hectares and 400 meters of beachfront. The preliminary bank trust with JP Morgan was signed before a Notary Public in February 2008.
Water and Electricity
The Ejido already has the permit to explode 3 fresh water wells, having as additional advantage that the land allows to transport the liquid by gravity from the wells to the beach, being not necessary to pump the water by mechanical equipment. The source of electricity is 18.5 km east to the beach, consisting of high-voltage transmission lines that come from Puerto Libertad, which is home of the largest thermoelectric power plant in the State of Sonora, providing most of the energy to major cities and jobs to the local population. Puerto Libertad, with a population of 2823, is located on the coast 50 km south of the Ejido.
Distances
The Ejido Celestino Gasca is 4-hour drive from Tucson and 5.3 hours from Phoenix, Arizona. San Diego is 423 miles north of the Ejido. Caborca city, with a population of over 120,000, is 60 minutes east of the Ejido, being the major agricultural center in the area, and the site of the historical Mission built by Padre Kino in 1692. Hermosillo city, the capital of the State of Sonora, is 3.5 hours drive from the Ejido. The Ejido is located in between two small fishing villages known as El Desemboque (30km north) and Puerto Lobos (10 km south).
An important advantage for American and Canadian tourists is the extension of the Free Zone for Foreign Vehicles to the municipality of Empalme, announced by President Fox in 2004, which implies that those who travel with vehicles to the Sonoran Riviera do not have to register and obtain a vehicle permit.
Airports
Driving from the new International Airport of Puerto Peñasco to the Ejido is about 90 minutes. This first- rated airport will open up the area to the presence of major commercial airlines. The airport was briefly open in 2007 for business as September's Border Governor's Conference brought in political VIP's from around Mexico and the U.S. The runway has been completed and striped and handled numerous private jets during the conference. The airport is scheduled to begin full commercial operations in the first quarter of 2009. In addition, Aeromexico began running flights from Los Angeles (LAX) three times per week to Rocky Point's current local airport, opening up this part of the Sonoran Riviera even further to the Southern California market.
On the other hand, the airport located in Puerto Libertad, currently operated by the Mexico Federal Electricity Commission, is at 25 minutes drive south the Ejido and has a runway with considerable length capacity to welcome commercial size aircraft. The RMP RMC is committed to transform this runway into an international high-standard airport, emphasizing the need of an intermediate international coastal airport between Guaymas en Puerto Peñasco to stimulate tourism development in the Riviera.
The Sonoran Coastal Highway
The Mexican government began construction last spring 2005 on a 375-mile long four-lane highway designed to provide access to the yet to be developed coastal areas of the Sonoran Riviera like those of the Ejido Celestino Gasca. President of Mexico Vicente Fox visited Sonora in April 2005 to lend both his personal support and federal government assistance to this $200 million public works project. The highway is designed as a scenic coastal route, virtually all of which will have ocean views, and which will guarantee the development of literally hundreds of miles of pristine coastline.
The project has the attention of Arizona businessmen and officials who foresee a renewed opportunity for Arizonans to invest heavily in Sonora, according to the Arizona Daily Star. The coastal highway is expected to open up the California marketplace. With a coastal highway entering the U.S. not far from Arizona's border with California, the State Government aims to attract people from San Diego and Orange County to the Sonoran Riviera.
Currently, the center of public attention is the forthcoming completion of the Coastal Highway’s first phase El Golfo de Santa Clara-Puerto Peñasco, and the construction of the second phase El Desemboque-Puerto Libertad. With safe, secure, and immediate connectivity to the United States, the highway will lead Arizona and California travelers along the Riviera Sea of Cortes to Guaymas with mostly beautiful coastal and ocean view. The highway will be lined by tourist stops, restaurants, stores and new tourist destinations, giving tourist access to most of yet undiscovered Sonora beaches and coastal communities. The first phase has a construction advance of 70% and the second phase 30%. The Ejido is located on the 2nd phase where first 25 km has been completed, implying that the Ejido has already a paved road connection with the interior of Mexico and the United States.
Additionally, construction has begun on direct access road from Lukeville/Sonoyta that will make access to the Sonoran Coastal Highway even faster, road that will run right the new Puerto Peñasco International Airport all the way to around km 22 out of Sonoyta. This will shave over 45 minutes off the trip from the Coastal Highway’s second phase to the border of Sonoyta.
The Sonoran Coastal Highway project exemplifies the State of Sonora's support of tourism development designed to attract US visitors.
Tourist corridor Sasabe-Caborca
Mexico's federal government is almost halfway done paving a Northern Sonora highway that would become the first quality roadway to lead from the tiny port of Sasabe into Mexico, connecting Tucson and adjoining communities to the Riviera Mar de Cortes through Sasabe port.
The Sasabe port —Arizona's smallest and least-trafficked port— has been open since 1916 but has never become a heavily used port such as those in San Luis, Nogales and Douglas. It is located in a remote, sparsely populated area and there are no paved roads leading from the port into the interior of Mexico. This new highway will change that by opening a new avenue into Mexico for tourists who traditionally haven't considered it a viable option.
When finished, this 33.5-mile paved road between the border town of El Sasabe and Sáric would give travelers a shorter alternate route into the Riviera Mar de Cortes, without having to go through Nogales or Lukeville, both very busy ports. Since work began in June 2006, crews have finished 13.6 miles in two sections; 7.4 miles out of El Sasabe, and 6.2 miles leading into Sáric.
Attracting more U.S. tourism to the region was the principal reasons the government chose to spend money on the highway. Officials expect the new road will attract more tourists through Sasabe and increase tourism to the historic small towns of Tubutama, Átil and Oquitoa as well as Caborca, all part of Father Kino's Mission Route, ending the route in the sandy beaches located along the scenic coastal corridor El Desemboque-Puerto Libertad, wherein the Ejido Celestino Gasca is located.
The Ejido as a Nautical Destination
A very interesting asset of the Ejido Celestino Gasca is the Estero Los Tanques located in Parcel 1. According to the RMP RMC, Los Tanques emerges in the Riviera as a strategic point for a marina construction. The RMP RMC points out that any other place located in between Puerto Libertad and Puerto Peñasco has such unique features suitable for a residential-marina development. Los Tanques’ spectacular view, with clear water from both sides of the dune, makes this point a unique place for hotel and residential purposes as well.
The Sea of Cortes currently attracts 8,000 boaters annually according to Fonatur. Fonatur calculated that 52,000 owners of boats from the United States 16 feet or longer will visit the Sea of Cortes when the Nautical Ladder www.escaleranautica.com is completed. Arizona, the main market for international tourism for the Sonoran Riviera registered 147,294 boats in 2005 according to the United States Coast Guard, being the 30th state with more boats registered in the U.S. 67% of Sonora visitors are from Arizona according to a recent study undertaken by the Sonoran Office of Tourism.
The Sea of Cortes –recently declared "A World Heritage Site" by UNESCO– has been rated by federal government as the highest potential at national level to develop the nautical tourism due to its high biodiversity, to the wealth of the sport fishing, to the scenic value of the coastline and to the favorable conditions for navigation.
The Sea of Cortez World Heritage site comprises 244 islands, islets and coastal areas that are located in the Gulf of California in ortheastern Mexico. The site is one of striking natural beauty in a dramatic setting formed by rugged islands with high cliffs and sandy beaches, which contrast with the brilliant reflection from the desert and the surrounding turquoise waters. The site is home to 695 vascular plant species, more than in any marine and insular property on the World Heritage List. Equally exceptional is the number of fish species: 891, ninety of them endemic. The site, moreover, contains 39% of the world’s total number of species of marine mammals and a third of the world’s marine cetacean species.
Landscape Diversity
The Ejido Celestino Gasca has 8.4 miles of untouched-fine-sandy beach. The beach faces due west so the sunset top off this amazing landscape. It is sunny almost year-round with practically no rainfall. It has both beautiful mountains to the east majestically rising to magnificent backdrop and a sequence of broad coastal plains with fabulous ocean views. Its topography provides consistent gradual slopes that reveal unobstructed ocean views from miles away. Also, a brilliant line of white-sand-dunes covers an area of nearly 600 hectares from the beach to the west arising among stunning dessert vegetation. Undoubtedly, the landscape diversity makes this property more attractive with respect other properties in the Riviera.
Dessert Plants and Animal Life
Among the many places of interest within the Ejido and the area surrounding Puerto Lobos, the tourist will find endemic animal and plant life, and a wide variety of spaces for nature-related tourism. This region has a rich marine and terrestrial biodiversity with many species found nowhere else on the earth.
The stunning Sonoran Desert offers a truly nique set of inhabitants. More than 20 cactus species thrive here. Hard surfaces and open areas allow for easy to moderate hiking and prime bservation opportunities. Many newcomers to this region ind the plants more prolific in color, variety, and density then they imagined. And in the scarce times of rain, the desert very quickly blooms with a vivid display of greenery and flowers. The Borrego Cimarron, Bighorn heep, Venado bura, cola blanca, berrendo, among other animals are found in the area surrounding Puerto Lobos and Puerto Libertad.
Activities
There are plenty of activities to do within the Ejido including fishing, snorkeling, kayaking, windsurfing, water skiing, jet skiing, biking, hiking, horseback riding, dessert crossing, camping, photographic safaris, exploring white-sand-dunes, observation of flora and fauna, Cimarron watching, among others, coupled with leisure and relaxation along extensive sandy beaches. The long stretch of sandy beach is ideal for walking as it is the calm water perfect for children, with average water temperature of 77 degrees.
Ethno-tourism in the Riviera Mar de Cortés: Regional Park Concaa’c
Driving 67 miles south the Ejido, through the Scenic Coastal Highway El Desemboque-Puerto Libertad, lives one of the ethnic groups of Mexico that has most strongly maintained its language and culture during the years after contact with Spanish and Mexican cultures: the Seri Indians, or Conca’ac community as they call themselves, in what has been considered the most exotic land in the Riviera Mar de Cortes: The Regional Park Conca’ac, a Natural Protected Area of 96,169 hectares.
The Seri Indians is a self-sufficient Indigenous community living in the Regional Park Conca’ac and are known to have lived there, in two small isolated coastal villages next to the Isla Tiburón, for at least 600 hundred years. Less than 800 Seri people still exist in this ancient culture. There tourist are able to admire this culture coupled with the beauty and immeasurable vastness of the Isla del Tiburón, Punta Sargento, Cabo Tepopa, Canal del Infiernillo and Sierra Seri. Visitors can walk and drive through this Regional Park learning the mysteries of its local fauna and flora.
A drive through Seri Land reveals a spectacular and especially luxuriant region of the Sonoran Desert. Incredible vistas of lush desert flora, green undulations of color, changing and very unusual landscapes filled with red-flowered ocotillos, yellow-blossomed palo verde trees, mesquites, ironwoods, and sprawling pitaya cacti, diced with orange mallow and golden-flowered brittlebushes, rise high into the mauve palisades of the Sierra Seri to the east. The land descends in the west, slipping under the Sea of Cortes, then quickly reemerging at Tiburon Island. There, tourists are able to get a refreshing swim in the clear shallow waters of Cabo Tepopa, with its white sandy beaches, coupled with a delicious traditional lunch prepared by the women of this Conca'ac Community. The Conca’ac people allow you to come in close contact with their cultures and become involved in their lives as they go about their daily routines. The Seri women weave elaborate canastas (baskets) and delicate necklaces. Men and women carve beautiful ironwood figures, available for purchase.
No doubt, the Sonoran Riviera, particularly the land located along the Scenic Corridor El Desemboque-Puerto Libertad, wherein both the Ejido Celestino Gasca and Regional Park Conca’ac are located, provide all what international tourists seek: exotic culture, beaches, mountains and deserts. The vision of showing off exotic plants, animals and the overall natural beauty is a prime attraction for tourists around the world, and ethnic diversity is commonly cited as an incentive to visit a destination. The ecotourist is seeking to be immersed in a foreign culture and terrain as exotic as their strangest dreams, and places like the Sonoran Riviera can provide that. With the growth of the global ecotourism industry, there are more travelers seeking out new, enriching experiences as part of their holiday or travel plans, beyond the stationary vacations at the beach. The Sonoran Riviera is prepared to fulfill this demand.
U.S. Baby Boomers
The Baby Boom generation is made up of the 78 million people born in the US between 1946 and 1964. US Baby Boomers have been increasingly looking to Mexico as a retirement home destination. As of 2007, over 500,000 Americans have retired to Mexico according to the US State Department. The Dallas Morning News reported that as many as a million U.S. citizens now live in Mexico at least part time, up fivefold from a decade ago.
The reason so many Americans and Canadians choose Mexico is because they can drive to Mexico in a car. A bigger reason is that Mexico is a bargain compared to the USA and Canada, which attracts Baby Boomers seeking affordable retirement living. Mexico is rich with history, steeped in culture having perhaps a more pronounced culture than any other nation in Latin America. Mexico has great food, great climate and a beautiful coastline.
The baby boomer generation continues to drive the search for second homes. According to a new survey from the National Association of Realtors, vacation- and investment-home sales declined with the overall market in 2007, but still accounted for 33 percent of all existing- and new-home sales. As more baby boomers head off into retirement many are discovering oceanfront living in Mexico. Only in California, during the next ten years 2.7 million workers aged 40 and older will retire. When they retire, 55 percent say they will move, according to official surveys.
At a fraction of the cost of oceanfront real estate in the United States, Mexico is becoming a prime choice for retirees looking to trade in Midwest winters for ocean breezes. Trading in cold, Midwestern winters is a difficult task in the United States where oceanfront real estate is limited and often comes at a price tag in the millions of dollars. Not the case in Mexico where retirees are discovering “bargains” in oceanfront living. Property taxes in most Mexican municipalities are a fraction of those in the United States. Low cost prescription medication is also a strong influence on retirees.
On the other hand, rising costs for food, gasoline, and utilities coupled with declining housing values in the United States, are forcing many to look outside their hometowns, even outside their countries, for a place that offers an affordable cost of living. Many retirees are also hesitant to stray too far from friends and family. They want to find an area that will allow them to maintain, or even improve, their present standard of living. However, they still want to be close enough to "home" so that trips back and forth are manageable both as far as time as well as cost are concerned. Many also want a place that is warm and sunny most of the year.
The Riviera Mar de Cortes fits the bill for a great number of U.S. expatriates. In this context, the Ejido Celestino Gasca is perfectly situated, not just because of its proximity to the US border –99.73 lineal miles– but also because tourists can travel quickly to many interesting destinations along extensive beautiful coastline through the Sonoran Coastal Highway.
Tourism Investment Indicators 2008
During the first semester of 2008, Mexico registered a private tourist investment of 3,358 million dollars, exceeding the annual goal of 3,333 million dollars foreseen by the federal Government, recently informed the Mexican Ministry of Tourism.
It was exposed that this amount means an increase of 60.2% in relation to the previous semester, while Sonora, Nayarit, Sinaloa, Baja California and South Baja California had a greater pick up of tourist investment, according to the National Register of Projects of Investment of the Mexican Ministry of Tourism www.sectur.gob.mx
In an official notice, the Ministry explained that the national investment displayed an increase of 43% in relation to the same period of the last year, when registering 2,185 million dollars. “With the previous thing, for the first six months of the year, the national investment account with 65% of participation in tourist investment of the Country, while the foreigner, mainly of Spain and the United States, sum 35%, which confirms the confidence of the investors” said the Ministry.
On the other side, President Felipe Calderon launched the National Infrastructure Program (NIP) a five-year program to increase the coverage, quality, and competitiveness of Mexico’s infrastructure. The NIP identifies over 300 infrastructure projects in sectors like energy, environment, transportation, telecommunications and tourism, representing over $141 billion to be financed using public-private partnerships, with significant Mexican public sector investment. The development of the Sonoran Riviera has been considered a priority for both former President Vicente Fox and now Felipe Calderón, as they see tourism development as a mean of helping strengthen the economy of local communities and reduce migration pressure through tourism by job creation and economic growth.
Final remarks
Both State and Federal government intends for the Riviera Mar de Cortes to become the new icon of Mexican tourism, and, as a strategy for making it so, to position it on the world tourism stage, a first-rated coastal highway is being constructed along 350-mile of coastline, within a Regional Master Plan elaborated at the highest level.
The variety of people coming to Mexico to live part time or full time continues to increase. The natural and the cultural potential of the Sonoran Riviera show an enormous variety that can be exploited to great effect. No doubt, the Ejido Celestino Gasca Villaseñor has some of the most beautiful, undiscovered beaches in the Riviera Sea of Cortes. Its favourable climate and an interesting touristic mixture of attractive landscapes (coastal plains, mountain ranges, white-sand-dunes, deserts and semi-deserts area) and cultural landmarks are key factors to attract tourists. All this, coupled with the property's clear title status and strategic location, makes the Ejido Celestino Gasca Villasenor a great opportunity for investors and developers.
Sites of interest:
Ejido photos and images: http://www.panoramio.com/user/1416716
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EJIDO CELESTINO GASCA VILLASENOR An investment opportunity in the Riviera Sea of Cortes
One of the largest privately owned U.S. title insured tracts of land in Sonora, Mexico, with 8.4 miles of beautiful sandy beaches and 6667 acres of ocean view in the Riviera Sea of Cortes, is the Ejido General Celestino Gasca Villaseñor.
Currently being offered for sale, still at pre-development prices, and directly through its owners, Ejido Celestino Gasca sits in the core of the Regional Master Plan Riviera Mar de Cortes: 2007-2030, announced by the Governor of Sonora Eduardo Bours Castelo, as the most important project in the State of Sonora and the largest regional master plan ever seen in the Mexican Republic.
Regional Master Plan Riviera Mar de Cortés: 2007-2030
The Regional Master Plan Riviera Mar de Cortes (RMP RMC) includes the creation and development of 5 new tourism destinations along 350-miles of coastline located between San Luis Rio Colorado and Guaymas. As Integrally Planned Tourism Projects, the new destinations are: (1) El Golfo de Santa Clara, (2) Bahía de San Francisquito, (3) Puerto Lobos, (4) Puerto Libertad and (5) Bahía Jojobal. The Ejido Celestino Gasca is part of the Integral Tourism Project “Puerto Lobos”.
The RMP RMC aims to place the Sonoran Riviera among the top travel destinations of the world and turn it into a landmark of a well-planified tourism development at worldwide level. It aims to become a prime example of environmentally friendly development, putting strong emphasis on eco-tourism and renewable energy, in order to enable the Sonoran Riviera to position itself as a destination of choice for both national and international visitors.
Taking advantage of the spectacular landscaping fusion of the sonorant desert with the biodiversity of the Sea of Cortes –the Aquarium of the World by Jacques Cousteau– the Riviera offers a high and unique degree of diversity, with an existing residential-tourist demand in the American market, with option to be inserted in new markets: Canada, Europe, China, South America and national, in a context in which the desert ecosystem acquires worldwide relevance as a tourist destination: e.g. United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Chile, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt.
To coordinate the efforts for the design, development and implementation of the PMR RMP, Governor Eduardo Bours Castelo formed in 2005 the Sonoran Strategic Projects Operator www.impulsor.com.mx, a JP Morgan bank trust, integrated by both public and private sector, whose main objective is to coordinate government agencies, attract investment capital and promote public-private partnerships for infrastructure development in the Riviera.
The creation of regional infrastructure in the Riviera Mar de Cortes has already begun with the construction of the Sonoran Coastal Highway, the new Puerto Peñasco International Airport, the Nautical Ladder –a series of marinas for the cruise ship lines and boaters– among other actions. The Coastal Highway’s second phase –currently under construction– known as El Desemboque-Puerto Libertad, is a scenic corridor that runs directly through the Ejido Celestino Gasca, with splendid ocean view.
Alliance Impulsor-Ejido Celestino Gasca
With the goal of generating basic infrastructure components like waterways, electricity, water supply, drainage, sewerage and solid waste disposal systems for tourism development in the Ejido Celestino Gasca, a joint venture between Impulsor and the Ejido was signed recently. This important alliance, which will be shortly announced by the Governor of Sonora Eduardo Bours Castelo, includes the development of a tourist-residential master plan in Parcel 1 of the Ejido, within at least 100 hectares and 400 meters of beachfront. The preliminary bank trust with JP Morgan was signed before a Notary Public in February 2008.
Water and Electricity
The Ejido already has the permit to explode 3 fresh water wells, having as additional advantage that the land allows to transport the liquid by gravity from the wells to the beach, being not necessary to pump the water by mechanical equipment. The source of electricity is 18.5 km east to the beach, consisting of high-voltage transmission lines that come from Puerto Libertad, which is home of the largest thermoelectric power plant in the State of Sonora, providing most of the energy to major cities and jobs to the local population. Puerto Libertad, with a population of 2823, is located on the coast 50 km south of the Ejido.
Distances
The Ejido Celestino Gasca is 4-hour drive from Tucson and 5.3 hours from Phoenix, Arizona. San Diego is 423 miles north of the Ejido. Caborca city, with a population of over 120,000, is 60 minutes east of the Ejido, being the major agricultural center in the area, and the site of the historical Mission built by Padre Kino in 1692. Hermosillo city, the capital of the State of Sonora, is 3.5 hours drive from the Ejido. The Ejido is located in between two small fishing villages known as El Desemboque (30km north) and Puerto Lobos (10 km south).
An important advantage for American and Canadian tourists is the extension of the Free Zone for Foreign Vehicles to the municipality of Empalme, announced by President Fox in 2004, which implies that those who travel with vehicles to the Sonoran Riviera do not have to register and obtain a vehicle permit.
Airports
Driving from the new International Airport of Puerto Peñasco to the Ejido is about 90 minutes. This first- rated airport will open up the area to the presence of major commercial airlines. The airport was briefly open in 2007 for business as September's Border Governor's Conference brought in political VIP's from around Mexico and the U.S. The runway has been completed and striped and handled numerous private jets during the conference. The airport is scheduled to begin full commercial operations in the first quarter of 2009. In addition, Aeromexico began running flights from Los Angeles (LAX) three times per week to Rocky Point's current local airport, opening up this part of the Sonoran Riviera even further to the Southern California market.
On the other hand, the airport located in Puerto Libertad, currently operated by the Mexico Federal Electricity Commission, is at 25 minutes drive south the Ejido and has a runway with considerable length capacity to welcome commercial size aircraft. The RMP RMC is committed to transform this runway into an international high-standard airport, emphasizing the need of an intermediate international coastal airport between Guaymas en Puerto Peñasco to stimulate tourism development in the Riviera.
The Sonoran Coastal Highway
The Mexican government began construction last spring 2005 on a 375-mile long four-lane highway designed to provide access to the yet to be developed coastal areas of the Sonoran Riviera like those of the Ejido Celestino Gasca. President of Mexico Vicente Fox visited Sonora in April 2005 to lend both his personal support and federal government assistance to this $200 million public works project. The highway is designed as a scenic coastal route, virtually all of which will have ocean views, and which will guarantee the development of literally hundreds of miles of pristine coastline.
The project has the attention of Arizona businessmen and officials who foresee a renewed opportunity for Arizonans to invest heavily in Sonora, according to the Arizona Daily Star. The coastal highway is expected to open up the California marketplace. With a coastal highway entering the U.S. not far from Arizona's border with California, the State Government aims to attract people from San Diego and Orange County to the Sonoran Riviera.
Currently, the center of public attention is the forthcoming completion of the Coastal Highway’s first phase El Golfo de Santa Clara-Puerto Peñasco, and the construction of the second phase El Desemboque-Puerto Libertad. With safe, secure, and immediate connectivity to the United States, the highway will lead Arizona and California travelers along the Riviera Sea of Cortes to Guaymas with mostly beautiful coastal and ocean view. The highway will be lined by tourist stops, restaurants, stores and new tourist destinations, giving tourist access to most of yet undiscovered Sonora beaches and coastal communities. The first phase has a construction advance of 70% and the second phase 30%. The Ejido is located on the 2nd phase where first 25 km has been completed, implying that the Ejido has already a paved road connection with the interior of Mexico and the United States.
Additionally, construction has begun on direct access road from Lukeville/Sonoyta that will make access to the Sonoran Coastal Highway even faster, road that will run right the new Puerto Peñasco International Airport all the way to around km 22 out of Sonoyta. This will shave over 45 minutes off the trip from the Coastal Highway’s second phase to the border of Sonoyta.
The Sonoran Coastal Highway project exemplifies the State of Sonora's support of tourism development designed to attract US visitors.
Tourist corridor Sasabe-Caborca
Mexico's federal government is almost halfway done paving a Northern Sonora highway that would become the first quality roadway to lead from the tiny port of Sasabe into Mexico, connecting Tucson and adjoining communities to the Riviera Mar de Cortes through Sasabe port.
The Sasabe port —Arizona's smallest and least-trafficked port— has been open since 1916 but has never become a heavily used port such as those in San Luis, Nogales and Douglas. It is located in a remote, sparsely populated area and there are no paved roads leading from the port into the interior of Mexico. This new highway will change that by opening a new avenue into Mexico for tourists who traditionally haven't considered it a viable option.
When finished, this 33.5-mile paved road between the border town of El Sasabe and Sáric would give travelers a shorter alternate route into the Riviera Mar de Cortes, without having to go through Nogales or Lukeville, both very busy ports. Since work began in June 2006, crews have finished 13.6 miles in two sections; 7.4 miles out of El Sasabe, and 6.2 miles leading into Sáric.
Attracting more U.S. tourism to the region was the principal reasons the government chose to spend money on the highway. Officials expect the new road will attract more tourists through Sasabe and increase tourism to the historic small towns of Tubutama, Átil and Oquitoa as well as Caborca, all part of Father Kino's Mission Route, ending the route in the sandy beaches located along the scenic coastal corridor El Desemboque-Puerto Libertad, wherein the Ejido Celestino Gasca is located.
The Ejido as a Nautical Destination
A very interesting asset of the Ejido Celestino Gasca is the Estero Los Tanques located in Parcel 1. According to the RMP RMC, Los Tanques emerges in the Riviera as a strategic point for a marina construction. The RMP RMC points out that any other place located in between Puerto Libertad and Puerto Peñasco has such unique features suitable for a residential-marina development. Los Tanques’ spectacular view, with clear water from both sides of the dune, makes this point a unique place for hotel and residential purposes as well.
The Sea of Cortes currently attracts 8,000 boaters annually according to Fonatur. Fonatur calculated that 52,000 owners of boats from the United States 16 feet or longer will visit the Sea of Cortes when the Nautical Ladder www.escaleranautica.com is completed. Arizona, the main market for international tourism for the Sonoran Riviera registered 147,294 boats in 2005 according to the United States Coast Guard, being the 30th state with more boats registered in the U.S. 67% of Sonora visitors are from Arizona according to a recent study undertaken by the Sonoran Office of Tourism.
The Sea of Cortes –recently declared "A World Heritage Site" by UNESCO– has been rated by federal government as the highest potential at national level to develop the nautical tourism due to its high biodiversity, to the wealth of the sport fishing, to the scenic value of the coastline and to the favorable conditions for navigation.
The Sea of Cortez World Heritage site comprises 244 islands, islets and coastal areas that are located in the Gulf of California in ortheastern Mexico. The site is one of striking natural beauty in a dramatic setting formed by rugged islands with high cliffs and sandy beaches, which contrast with the brilliant reflection from the desert and the surrounding turquoise waters. The site is home to 695 vascular plant species, more than in any marine and insular property on the World Heritage List. Equally exceptional is the number of fish species: 891, ninety of them endemic. The site, moreover, contains 39% of the world’s total number of species of marine mammals and a third of the world’s marine cetacean species.
Landscape Diversity
The Ejido Celestino Gasca has 8.4 miles of untouched-fine-sandy beach. The beach faces due west so the sunset top off this amazing landscape. It is sunny almost year-round with practically no rainfall. It has both beautiful mountains to the east majestically rising to magnificent backdrop and a sequence of broad coastal plains with fabulous ocean views. Its topography provides consistent gradual slopes that reveal unobstructed ocean views from miles away. Also, a brilliant line of white-sand-dunes covers an area of nearly 600 hectares from the beach to the west arising among stunning dessert vegetation. Undoubtedly, the landscape diversity makes this property more attractive with respect other properties in the Riviera.
Dessert Plants and Animal Life
Among the many places of interest within the Ejido and the area surrounding Puerto Lobos, the tourist will find endemic animal and plant life, and a wide variety of spaces for nature-related tourism. This region has a rich marine and terrestrial biodiversity with many species found nowhere else on the earth.
The stunning Sonoran Desert offers a truly nique set of inhabitants. More than 20 cactus species thrive here. Hard surfaces and open areas allow for easy to moderate hiking and prime bservation opportunities. Many newcomers to this region ind the plants more prolific in color, variety, and density then they imagined. And in the scarce times of rain, the desert very quickly blooms with a vivid display of greenery and flowers. The Borrego Cimarron, Bighorn heep, Venado bura, cola blanca, berrendo, among other animals are found in the area surrounding Puerto Lobos and Puerto Libertad.
Activities
There are plenty of activities to do within the Ejido including fishing, snorkeling, kayaking, windsurfing, water skiing, jet skiing, biking, hiking, horseback riding, dessert crossing, camping, photographic safaris, exploring white-sand-dunes, observation of flora and fauna, Cimarron watching, among others, coupled with leisure and relaxation along extensive sandy beaches. The long stretch of sandy beach is ideal for walking as it is the calm water perfect for children, with average water temperature of 77 degrees.
Ethno-tourism in the Riviera Mar de Cortés: Regional Park Concaa’c
Driving 67 miles south the Ejido, through the Scenic Coastal Highway El Desemboque-Puerto Libertad, lives one of the ethnic groups of Mexico that has most strongly maintained its language and culture during the years after contact with Spanish and Mexican cultures: the Seri Indians, or Conca’ac community as they call themselves, in what has been considered the most exotic land in the Riviera Mar de Cortes: The Regional Park Conca’ac, a Natural Protected Area of 96,169 hectares.
The Seri Indians is a self-sufficient Indigenous community living in the Regional Park Conca’ac and are known to have lived there, in two small isolated coastal villages next to the Isla Tiburón, for at least 600 hundred years. Less than 800 Seri people still exist in this ancient culture. There tourist are able to admire this culture coupled with the beauty and immeasurable vastness of the Isla del Tiburón, Punta Sargento, Cabo Tepopa, Canal del Infiernillo and Sierra Seri. Visitors can walk and drive through this Regional Park learning the mysteries of its local fauna and flora.
A drive through Seri Land reveals a spectacular and especially luxuriant region of the Sonoran Desert. Incredible vistas of lush desert flora, green undulations of color, changing and very unusual landscapes filled with red-flowered ocotillos, yellow-blossomed palo verde trees, mesquites, ironwoods, and sprawling pitaya cacti, diced with orange mallow and golden-flowered brittlebushes, rise high into the mauve palisades of the Sierra Seri to the east. The land descends in the west, slipping under the Sea of Cortes, then quickly reemerging at Tiburon Island. There, tourists are able to get a refreshing swim in the clear shallow waters of Cabo Tepopa, with its white sandy beaches, coupled with a delicious traditional lunch prepared by the women of this Conca'ac Community. The Conca’ac people allow you to come in close contact with their cultures and become involved in their lives as they go about their daily routines. The Seri women weave elaborate canastas (baskets) and delicate necklaces. Men and women carve beautiful ironwood figures, available for purchase.
No doubt, the Sonoran Riviera, particularly the land located along the Scenic Corridor El Desemboque-Puerto Libertad, wherein both the Ejido Celestino Gasca and Regional Park Conca’ac are located, provide all what international tourists seek: exotic culture, beaches, mountains and deserts. The vision of showing off exotic plants, animals and the overall natural beauty is a prime attraction for tourists around the world, and ethnic diversity is commonly cited as an incentive to visit a destination. The ecotourist is seeking to be immersed in a foreign culture and terrain as exotic as their strangest dreams, and places like the Sonoran Riviera can provide that. With the growth of the global ecotourism industry, there are more travelers seeking out new, enriching experiences as part of their holiday or travel plans, beyond the stationary vacations at the beach. The Sonoran Riviera is prepared to fulfill this demand.
U.S. Baby Boomers
The Baby Boom generation is made up of the 78 million people born in the US between 1946 and 1964. US Baby Boomers have been increasingly looking to Mexico as a retirement home destination. As of 2007, over 500,000 Americans have retired to Mexico according to the US State Department. The Dallas Morning News reported that as many as a million U.S. citizens now live in Mexico at least part time, up fivefold from a decade ago.
The reason so many Americans and Canadians choose Mexico is because they can drive to Mexico in a car. A bigger reason is that Mexico is a bargain compared to the USA and Canada, which attracts Baby Boomers seeking affordable retirement living. Mexico is rich with history, steeped in culture having perhaps a more pronounced culture than any other nation in Latin America. Mexico has great food, great climate and a beautiful coastline.
The baby boomer generation continues to drive the search for second homes. According to a new survey from the National Association of Realtors, vacation- and investment-home sales declined with the overall market in 2007, but still accounted for 33 percent of all existing- and new-home sales. As more baby boomers head off into retirement many are discovering oceanfront living in Mexico. Only in California, during the next ten years 2.7 million workers aged 40 and older will retire. When they retire, 55 percent say they will move, according to official surveys.
At a fraction of the cost of oceanfront real estate in the United States, Mexico is becoming a prime choice for retirees looking to trade in Midwest winters for ocean breezes. Trading in cold, Midwestern winters is a difficult task in the United States where oceanfront real estate is limited and often comes at a price tag in the millions of dollars. Not the case in Mexico where retirees are discovering “bargains” in oceanfront living. Property taxes in most Mexican municipalities are a fraction of those in the United States. Low cost prescription medication is also a strong influence on retirees.
On the other hand, rising costs for food, gasoline, and utilities coupled with declining housing values in the United States, are forcing many to look outside their hometowns, even outside their countries, for a place that offers an affordable cost of living. Many retirees are also hesitant to stray too far from friends and family. They want to find an area that will allow them to maintain, or even improve, their present standard of living. However, they still want to be close enough to "home" so that trips back and forth are manageable both as far as time as well as cost are concerned. Many also want a place that is warm and sunny most of the year.
The Riviera Mar de Cortes fits the bill for a great number of U.S. expatriates. In this context, the Ejido Celestino Gasca is perfectly situated, not just because of its proximity to the US border –99.73 lineal miles– but also because tourists can travel quickly to many interesting destinations along extensive beautiful coastline through the Sonoran Coastal Highway.
Tourism Investment Indicators 2008
During the first semester of 2008, Mexico registered a private tourist investment of 3,358 million dollars, exceeding the annual goal of 3,333 million dollars foreseen by the federal Government, recently informed the Mexican Ministry of Tourism.
It was exposed that this amount means an increase of 60.2% in relation to the previous semester, while Sonora, Nayarit, Sinaloa, Baja California and South Baja California had a greater pick up of tourist investment, according to the National Register of Projects of Investment of the Mexican Ministry of Tourism www.sectur.gob.mx
In an official notice, the Ministry explained that the national investment displayed an increase of 43% in relation to the same period of the last year, when registering 2,185 million dollars. “With the previous thing, for the first six months of the year, the national investment account with 65% of participation in tourist investment of the Country, while the foreigner, mainly of Spain and the United States, sum 35%, which confirms the confidence of the investors” said the Ministry.
On the other side, President Felipe Calderon launched the National Infrastructure Program (NIP) a five-year program to increase the coverage, quality, and competitiveness of Mexico’s infrastructure. The NIP identifies over 300 infrastructure projects in sectors like energy, environment, transportation, telecommunications and tourism, representing over $141 billion to be financed using public-private partnerships, with significant Mexican public sector investment. The development of the Sonoran Riviera has been considered a priority for both former President Vicente Fox and now Felipe Calderón, as they see tourism development as a mean of helping strengthen the economy of local communities and reduce migration pressure through tourism by job creation and economic growth.
Final remarks
Both State and Federal government intends for the Riviera Mar de Cortes to become the new icon of Mexican tourism, and, as a strategy for making it so, to position it on the world tourism stage, a first-rated coastal highway is being constructed along 350-mile of coastline, within a Regional Master Plan elaborated at the highest level.
The variety of people coming to Mexico to live part time or full time continues to increase. The natural and the cultural potential of the Sonoran Riviera show an enormous variety that can be exploited to great effect. No doubt, the Ejido Celestino Gasca Villaseñor has some of the most beautiful, undiscovered beaches in the Riviera Sea of Cortes. Its favourable climate and an interesting touristic mixture of attractive landscapes (coastal plains, mountain ranges, white-sand-dunes, deserts and semi-deserts area) and cultural landmarks are key factors to attract tourists. All this, coupled with the property's clear title status and strategic location, makes the Ejido Celestino Gasca Villasenor a great opportunity for investors and developers.
Sites of interest:
Ejido photos and images: http://www.panoramio.com/user/1416716
Coastal highway video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td6WIPlQLfM&feature=related
Coastal highway article: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/0924biz-sonora0924.html
Alliance Stewart-Impulsor: http://www.stewart.com/page/stewart-title-baja-signs-a-collaboration-agreement-with-the-state-of-sonora-mexico
Mar de Cortez Projects FONATUR: http://www.fonatur.gob.mx/libros_blancos/_desarrollo/_esc-01_proy_mar_de_cortes/PRESENTACI%C3%93N.pdf
Tourist corridor El Sasabe-Caborca: http://azstarnet.mobi/site/more/316503/4
Mexico tourism indicators and statistics http://www.sectur.gob.mx/wb/sectur/sect_Estadisticas_del_Sector