Targeted marketing of Mexico's travel and real estate opportunites to potential U.S. customers is the central thread or theme of this blog.

I am opening with a discussion of what Mexico has to offer to its North American neighbors:

Mexico’s 32 states are truly diverse, as each one has countless tourist destinations offering a wide array of cultural and natural resources. Certain regions are especially attractive to U.S. travelers and investors. These include the popular gateway cities of Cancún, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, and Ensenada.

Since Mexico has relaxed its restrictions on foreign ownership of real estate, and there is a great deal of interest by U.S. investors, who are acquiring land, vacation condos, and luxury villas in the Riviera Maya, Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point), Punta de Mita, the Riviera Nayarit, North and South along Baja California, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Puerto Escondido, and Huatulco.

Secretary of Tourism for Mexico - SECTUR - at a recent symposium stated that up to seven million U.S. citizens are interested in the possibility of retiring in Mexico. This is, in part, due to unanticipated losses in their assets, the declining dollar, and the potential to "live better south of the border" on what income they now expect to receive upon retirement. The Mexican government is now studying the impact of large numbers of "boomers" who will be living at least part of the year in Mexico. The results of the government's studies will be the subject of future blogs.

Many of those interested in retirement homes are looking away from the pricier beach resorts, to more affordable destinations such as: Pátzcuaro, San Miguel de Allende, Querétaro, Guanajuato, Mérida, Morelia, Cuernavaca, Tepoztlán, and Valle de Bravo.

Real estate developers are acquiring land and building projects ranging from multi-million dollar estates to moderately-priced apartments that, hopefully, will appeal to U.S. second home buyers. However, Mexican developers and their real estate sales agencies are generally less sophisticated in their advertising efforts than their U.S. counterparts. In the next blog, I will explore the reasons for this and provide suggestions for more cost-effectively reaching their most sought-after buyers.