Litibu - The next Cancun?!

[Rissask]

Fonatur is doing it again.
Found this article while researching our August trip to either Cabo, Sayulita or La Penita...guess I better enjoy those latter two places while they are still relatively quiet.

Litibú, Mexico -- Bulldozer tracks scored the dirt road that led us to the beach through low- growing vines and tropical scrub punctuated by palm trees. A hawk glided by, barely higher than our heads, but not one footprint disturbed the gently curving crescent of white sand stretching toward the headland. Just beyond the rise behind us, though, lay paved entrance roads, freshly planted palm trees and lantana, and a manmade lake about to be filled with water. Ground was graded and awaiting turf to become an 18-hole Greg Norman golf course. Within two years, this 413 acres of jungle, 2 miles from Punta Mita on the newly paved road to Sayulita, will host beachfront villas, luxury condominiums, shopping malls and beach clubs.

FONATUR, the government tourist development agency that created the resorts of Cancún, Los Cabos, Ixtapa, Huatulco and Loreto, revved up again under the presidency of Vicente Fox, starting a new major resort for the first time in 20 years. This time, the Nayarit coast's number came up.

Litibú -- the name of a bird in the native Huichol language -- is the first phase in the Nayarit project, which is scheduled to encompass three phases by 2025. Groundbreaking is scheduled for this year on the second phase, to be called El Capomo, about 30 miles north; the third, at La Peñita, is in between.

The palapa-roofed sales offices just inside Litibú's entrance gates stand empty, never needed because 85 percent of the parcels were scooped up within hours of their release for sale early last year. The golf course opening, which had been scheduled for December, has been pushed back to this summer.

Private homes (many destined to be vacation rentals) will dominate the lodging, but the master plan allows for five or six major hotels. Spain's Iberostar chain signed up early on; FADESA, another Spanish group that has many hotels and condominium developments in Europe, will also build a luxury hotel.

Investment in Litibú is about 90 percent foreign. Big U.S. investors weren't quick enough in this round; Sergio Tabasky, who is in charge of FONATUR's development in Loreto and is helping to oversee Litibú, said the Walt Disney Co. wanted to build a theme hotel and timeshare units and will probably come into Phase II.
In more than one sense, Litibú will be greener than its predecessors. Mexican planners are steering clear of the spring break/party crowd and going for the well-heeled tourist who will stay longer and spend more money. At the same time, they are taking new measures to avoid overwhelming the landscape or the local culture.

Tabasky said for every palm tree they take out of the jungle to make room for development, they are required by law to put five others in. Every species of plant added to the landscape has to be native to the region.

An integral part of the project is building a desalination plant, sewage treatment facilities, paved roads and sidewalks in Higuera Blanca, the nearby village whose Huichol residents are descended from the only tribe never conquered by the Spanish. FONATUR also is enlarging their health center and school building. As McCarthy explained just before sales began at Litibú, the work is intended to improve villagers' -- and visitors' -- lives without modernizing the town. Planners were careful not to interfere with its quaint character, anticipating that even free-spending tourists will want to venture from their gated enclave to take in the colors and sounds and smells of a real Mexican village.

'Next Cancún' taking shape on pristine Nayarit shores

[Just Lucky]

Isn't this quite near Puerto Vallarta?

[Jesus]

Yes, the proyect has a lot of support from the government and many detractors also.

Enjoy the place while you can.

[PlayadelSoul]

Well, Hualtulco is nothing like Cancun. Not even close. I think the headline is a little misleading. FONATUR may be making all of the coast into resort, but they do do some things right, IMHO.

[Rissask]

Originally Posted by PlayadelSoul

Well, Hualtulco is nothing like Cancun. Not even close. I think the headline is a little misleading. FONATUR may be making all of the coast into resort, but they do do some things right, IMHO.

You are correct there, Huatulco is nothing like Canucn, it's much nicer and the focus is very much on keeping the nine bays in pristine condition. They have done a nice job there, although I know some still think it is too fake ( the super clean, manicured grounds, etc.), but we really like that area.

But this area is different...Huatulco was in a very low populated area, for starters.
(Although....there was a town there and they actually moved everyone and the town inland a few miles away- I doubt everyone was happy about that. )

Same as Cancun, there was really nothing there before the 70s-right?
But in this area, there are already so many towns, it's already over developed, and just getting worse. It'll be one big long stretch of hotels soon all along that coast.

Hasn't the US housing market gone cold? What is driving all the Mexico development??

[PlayadelSoul]

Originally Posted by Rissask

You are correct there, Huatulco is nothing like Canucn, it's much nicer and the focus is very much on keeping the nine bays in pristine condition. They have done a nice job there, although I know some still think it is too fake ( the super clean, manicured grounds, etc.), but we really like that area.

But this area is different...Huatulco was in a very low populated area, for starters.
(Although....there was a town there and they actually moved everyone and the town inland a few miles away- I doubt everyone was happy about that. )

Same as Cancun, there was really nothing there before the 70s-right?
But in this area, there are already so many towns, it's already over developed, and just getting worse. It'll be one big long stretch of hotels soon all along that coast.

Hasn't the US housing market gone cold? What is driving all the Mexico development??

Who knows. Every day I come to work, I see a new condo going up. Sooner of later, you have to run out of buyers, don't you? I envision a day when a good percentage of these places are in foreclosure. That is when I will strike.

[Jacko]

Originally Posted by PlayadelSoul

Who knows. Every day I come to work, I see a new condo going up. Sooner of later, you have to run out of buyers, don't you? I envision a day when a good percentage of these places are in foreclosure. That is when I will strike.

Thats what they said in California years and years ago...still going strong....

[Rissask]

Originally Posted by PlayadelSoul

Who knows. Every day I come to work, I see a new condo going up. Sooner of later, you have to run out of buyers, don't you? I envision a day when a good percentage of these places are in foreclosure. That is when I will strike.

good idea!

We were/are looking at buying a $50,000 2 BR condo in La Crucecita, nice part of town, nice pool, etc.- what a steal! That will be going up when that area gets more popular.

We just liked Sayulita so much (it's the same old whine I know, I am sorry ). I just wish places like it would stay uncrowded ...yet it's funny, I read people complaining about how it's grown so much and it's not as rustic as it used to be (sounds familiar huh).

I just wouldn't want it any more or less rustic than it is now, roosters and chickens and pigs and dogs walking around loose all over, unpaved roads, people barefoot everywhere, no fast food places (just the 60 peso roasted pollo/rice/salsa dinners on Sat sold from locals' patios ), no AI hotels, etc. But I know what they say about undiscovered paradises...they don't stay that way for long, and I don't have a leg to stand on.

[PlayadelSoul]

Originally Posted by Jacko

Thats what they said in California years and years ago...still going strong....

I've got time.

[Rissask]

Originally Posted by Just Lucky

Isn't this quite near Puerto Vallarta?

Sorry, Just Lucky, my man..I missed this until now.
Yes, it is about 30 miles north of PV, in the next state north, Nayarit (PV is in Jalisco).
It's near both Punta de Mita and Sayulita, also San Panco, Bucerias, Rincon de Guayabitos/La Penita de Jaltemba.

[jevans]

i have a bunch of pictures of the area from 15-20 years ago i'm trying to download. photobucket isn't recognizing the old format though. i'll keep trying.

[roni]

Originally Posted by PlayadelSoul

Who knows. Every day I come to work, I see a new condo going up. Sooner of later, you have to run out of buyers, don't you? I envision a day when a good percentage of these places are in foreclosure. That is when I will strike.

Lemme know when that is.
May strike or may not

Real Estate Market in gringolandia (Lake Chapala and San Miguel de Allende) has slowed down according to locals there.

Old saying is US gets a cold, Mexico gets pneumonia.
No idea if it is valid.

[Rissask]

Originally Posted by roni

Lemme know when that is.
May strike or may not

Real Estate Market in gringolandia (Lake Chapala and San Miguel de Allende) has slowed down according to locals there.

Old saying is US gets a cold, Mexico gets pneumonia.
No idea if it is valid.

No idea either...but this article does say the opposite. Although it is a year old.

Maybe it depends where in Mexico, I know Rincon is booming, for example-but there are more Canucks there, and our housing market is crazy hot right now.

[FrankRN]

Originally Posted by Rissask

We just liked Sayulita so much (it's the same old whine I know, I am sorry ). I just wish places like it would stay uncrowded ...yet it's funny, I read people complaining about how it's grown so much and it's not as rustic as it used to be (sounds familiar huh).
I just wouldn't want it any more or less rustic than it is now, roosters and chickens and pigs and dogs walking around loose all over, unpaved roads, people barefoot everywhere, no fast food places (just the 60 peso roasted pollo/rice/salsa dinners on Sat sold from locals' patios ), no AI hotels, etc. But I know what they say about undiscovered paradises...they don't stay that way for long, and I don't have a leg to stand on.

Aahhhh ... one of my long time rants ... but I won't get going on it. I'll just agree with you, let out a long sigh, and remember when it wasn't safe to venture past Calle 12 ... and I loved it!

.

[thecuz]

I can't help but find it ironic.

Whenever a discussion about "unspoiled" areas in developing countries springs up the gist seems to be that the discussers incursions into these areas are benign, having no effect on the cultural and physical changes of the areas, while the influx of the "wrong" kind of tourists is problematic.

The reason that 5th north of Calle 12 has changed is because we went there.

The reason that FONATUR develops new tourist areas is becasue we vacation and buy property there.