Proposals discussed at Tijuana summit

Baja site eyed for tourism project (Ver nota publicada)
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By Sandra Dibble / STAFF WRITER

TIJUANA B. C. October 4, 2007– The Mexican tourism agency behind the development of major resorts such as Cancun and Los Cabos is now setting its sights on the sparsely populated Gulf of California region for its next mega-project.

Miguel Gómez Montt, director general of Fonatur, said in an interview yesterday that his agency is studying 10 areas on the gulf, hoping to “choose one and promote it.”

“We need to build three Cancuns, and we are analyzing where we could do so, and one of them could be in this zone,” said Gómez Montt, who discussed his agency's upcoming project during an investment summit promoting the Gulf of California.

Baja California is one of the four states being studied for the possible project.

The three-day summit, which opened yesterday at Tijuana's Grand Hotel, is sponsored by the Baja California government with support from Fonatur and state governments in northwest Mexico with coastlines on the gulf.

The Baja California Meeting Point event brings together developers, consultants, government officials, and others with interest in developing the region, much of it sparsely populated and environmentally fragile. Mexico's tourism secretary, Rodolfo Elizondo, and Gómez Montt were among the featured speakers.

In Baja California, Fonatur is focusing on the area between Bahia San Luis Gonzaga and Bahia de los Angeles on the states' east coast. The region is known for its stark beauty and broad vistas of the Gulf of California, also called the Sea of Cortez.

The sparsely populated gulf is prized by environmentalists and scientists for its rich marine life and many endemic species. In 2005, 244 islands in the gulf were designated a United Nations World Heritage site. Earlier this year, President Felipe Calderon's administration designated the marine region off Bahia de los Angeles as a Biosphere Reserve.

“We have heard many stories of mega-projects in the Gulf of California, but it's clear that they are not viable,” said Gustavo Danemann, executive director of Pronatura Noroeste, a branch of Mexico's oldest and largest environmental organization.

A scarce water supply limits development in much of the region, and desalination has yet to be a proven as a large-scale solution, Danemann said. In addition, “any project would have to comply with environmental regulations,” he said.

Environmental groups for years have been critical of another Fonatur project, the Escalera Nautica, which was launched in 2001 by former President Vicente Fox.

The plan originally envisioned attracting 50,000 boats and 1 million tourists annually to the region though a series of 28 linked marinas and an 80-mile road to tow boats across the middle of the peninsula, between Santa Rosalillita on Baja California's Pacific Coast and Bahia de los Angeles.

The plan was later renamed Proyecto Mar de Cortes and significantly downscaled. Yesterday, Gómez Montt said he expects the project will proceed next year, with 11 small nautical stations where boats can find fuel, water and other necessities.

“They're stops, not marinas, just for people passing through,” Gómez Montt said.

Fonatur has for years been trying to find land for a marina in Bahia de los Angeles. Gómez Montt said the Baja California government has given Fonatur a piece of land in the town and that his agency hopes to build its facility there next year.

Guillermo Acosta, an official of Singlar, the Fonatur subsidiary in charge of developing the project, said the agency plans to build 20 slips at Bahia de los Angeles. Singlar is also preparing to build 20 stops on the Pacific Ocean at Santa Maria, north of Santa Rosalillita, to allow smaller boats to refuel on their way down the coast.

But at least in Bahia de Los Angeles, Pronatura's Danemann said Fonatur has yet to obtain an environmental permit from Mexico's federal government, which is necessary before construction can begin.