Mexico Opens Tender for Puerto Vallarta Cruise Homeport Terminal

Mexican authorities have launched a plan to attract cruise-ship homeport operations to Puerto Vallarta, where an international tender has been issued to build and operate a new terminal. Tourism Secretary Josefina Rodriguez Zamora and Navy Secretary Admiral Raymundo Pedro Morales Angeles announced the federal initiative in late September 2026.

The proposed development covers 95,000 square meters and includes three cruise berths, with separate areas for embarkation and disembarkation. Puerto Vallarta currently receives ships mainly as a port of call; the project would allow passengers to begin or finish their cruises in the Pacific Coast city.

Mexico’s National Port System Administration, ASIPONA, will oversee the development, which also includes commercial and entertainment space. Agencia Quadratin said Mexico currently lacks facilities needed to support homeport operations for large cruise ships.

The terminal forms part of Puerto Vallarta’s Programa Maestro de Desarrollo Portuario 2026–2031, authorized by Mexico’s Dirección General de Puertos on July 10, 2026. The federal government has designated homeport development as the masterplan’s principal project and a national priority.

Tender opens to Mexican and foreign operators

ASIPONA Puerto Vallarta’s international tender permits bids from Mexican and foreign companies with experience running cruise and nautical tourism terminals. Applicants must demonstrate net worth or subscribed equity of at least 200 million pesos, approximately US$11.65 million, as of the end of 2025.

Puerto Vallarta’s selection followed a competitive process that also considered proposals from Mazatlan, Los Cabos and Nayarit. The federal announcement did not disclose further project details.

What homeporting could bring the city

Rodriguez Zamora said the economic benefit of homeporting would include passengers extending their visits to Puerto Vallarta. Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro estimated that travelers could add an average of two hotel nights before embarkation or after disembarkation, alongside spending on meals and tourism activities.

Lemus also said ships would obtain supplies locally. Hotels, restaurants, transport providers, tour operators and other local businesses are among the potential beneficiaries identified for the project.

Offering an example of a possible route, Lemus said: “Imagine a cruise ship that starts in Puerto Vallarta, then continues to Los Cabos and ends in Los Angeles.”

Local traffic and Mexico’s cruise growth

Puerto Vallarta handled more than 500,000 cruise passengers and 167 ship calls in 2024. Calls increased to 171 in 2025, although passenger traffic during the first half of that year fell 2.4% to 278,871, compared with 285,635 in the corresponding period a year earlier.

Nationally, Mexico received 7.5 million cruise passengers on 2,405 ship calls between January and July 2026, according to Agencia Quadratin. Passenger volume was 16.2% above the same period in 2025, while the reported economic impact increased 17.3% to $650 million. Alongside Puerto Vallarta, the country’s busiest cruise ports include Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, Progreso, Cozumel and Costa Maya.

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, according to Lemus. He put the target for starting terminal operations in 2029.

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