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Escalera Nautica of the Sea of Cortes: The Tourism Megaproject of the XXI Century
The commitment of the President of the Republic and the state governments
For President Vicente Fox, who considers the tourist industry like a "passport towards modernity", the Escalera Nautica represents a crucial and strategic megaproject for the development of the country, as well as it will allow today to make possible decades of proposals and plans to detonate the tourist development of the north region of the country.
After the success of the Federal Tourism Promotion Fund (Fonatur) in the development of tourist poles like Cancun, Ixtapa and Huatulco, and after almost 19 years without constructing new important tourist destinations, the Mexican federal government altogether with the governments of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Sonora, as well as diverse public and private organisms, defined the megaprojects Escalera Nautica and Mayan Riviera like the strategic centre of the tourist development of the country for the next 6 years.
The Escalera Nautica megaproject was formalized the 21th of February of 2001 in La Paz Baja California Sur, with the signature of the agreement between president Vicente Fox, the Secretary of Tourism Leticia Navarro, the Director Fonatur John McCarthy and the governors of Sonora, Baja California, Baja California Sur and Sinaloa.
The states governors in company of President Vicente Fox subscribed the agreement that will economically detonate the zone of Pacífico-Noroeste of Mexico and that will manage to consolidate the Sea of Cortes as a world-wide class touristic destination.
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Its impact in the states and municipalities of the region
For the Governor of Baja California Sur, Leonel Cota, the Escalera Nautica represents a permanent economic and social detonation for the north region of the country as well as a crucial opportunity to consolidate the leadership of Mexico in tourist matter.
The south californian governor indicates that the tourism is strategic in his state and affirms that the Escalera Nautica already started in Santa Rosalía, Loreto and Los Cabos. He describes the project as regional priority and reiterates that it will look for a balance between economic and ecological matters. This is how the project works to establish a productive value of the conservation of the enviroment, conscious that the only thing that would guarantee the continuity in the arrival of tourists is a project that looks for an ecological balance.
In order to see more opinions of the Governor of Baja California Sur about the Escalera Nautica follow this link .
For Armando Lopez, Governor of Sonora, the Escalera Nautica will generate development in more than 900 kilometers of the coast of his state, as well as in the main tourist poles like Bahia San Carlos, Puerto Peñasco and Bahia Kino. This project, said Lopez, will respond to a legitimate yearning of the industralists and tourist developers.
When speaking of Puerto Peñasco he indicates that today this touristic pole has one of the highest levels of investment in tourist matter, existing 8 groups of investment, that only in year 2001 will destine resources by the order of 80 million dollars, with a total horizon in 15 years of more than 200 million dollars, including the projects of construction of the tourist levee and the modernization of the airport.
With respect to the current premier touristic destination of Sonora: San Carlos Bay the Sonora´s Governor indicates that the Escalera Nautica will provide a key increase in the tourist facilities that will rise the demand of services and a growth of its population. Additionally the Escalera Nautica is working to retake projects like the Soldado de Cortes, specially the project to stablish a road connection between Miramar and the Soldier Estuaries, the modernization of the international airport Guaymas-San Carlos (to receive nocturnal flights), as well as to continue supporting the new residential and commercial developments in the Piedras Pintas-Algodones zone.
Another important project for the Guaymas-San Carlos Bay area is the construction of the Bacochibampo Marine (which contemplates an investment of 67 million dollars until the 2003 and of up to 143 million dollars during the following 3 years), where about 1,100 spaces of humid marine for equal number of boats are constructed. This marine will strategically increase the boat-spaces offer in this zone (a spot considered with some of the best tourist marine facilities in the country). The masterful plan of the Bacochibampo Marine includes 165 residential lots with ocean view, 104 residential villas with marina view, 74 lots, 410 hotel keys, 810 condominiums, beach club, nautical club and a convention center, everything in a surface of 99,34 hectares.
In the case of Bahia Kino the extension of its hotel infrastructure and services is contemplated, as well as the construction of a humid marine with 150 spaces for boats, the construction of a new public spa and a 12 meter extension of the Hermosillo-Bahia Kino highway.
Other short term activities to be made in Sonora to continue the development of the Escalera Nautica are the intalation of bilingual signals in the Sonoyta-Peñasco highway, infrastructure works on the basic points where new marines will be settle, as well as to promote greater investments in hotels, resorts and shelter ports for boats.
On the other hand Juan Millán, Governor of Sinaloa, consider that this megaproject will consolidate the tourist vocation of its state as well as it will allow to accelerate the development of tourist poles like Mazatlán.
Additionally, the Sinaloa´s Governor indicates that he considers to take advantage of the infrastructure already installed, as well as to construct at least one marine in the coast of Teacapán.
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I. Introduction
Mexico and particularly the region of the Sea of Cortes has the highest potential to impel the nautical tourism. On the one hand, their proximity with the enormous potential market of the west of the American Union, and by the other, their vast natural and marine resources provide an extraordinary vocation to him for this segment of tourism. The Sea of Cortes constitutes, without doubt, one of the regions of greater nautical-tourist potential on world-wide scale, which confers competitive advantages to him that must be taken advantage of.
At the present time important opportunities appear to impel their development:
- The growth of the nautical tourism depends to a great extent on the economic strength of the emitting countries. In that sense, the United States will continue consolidating like one of the strongest economies of the world.
- The nautical industry of the United States is determined to continue with its plans of expansion, reason why they set out to recover his historical growth, of the order of 4% to annual 6%, in the next years (Big Boat Bull Market Drives Marine Business in 1997. National Marine Manufacturers Association).
- The west coast marinas of the United States, particularly of California, are saturated or very near their saturation and are insufficient to take care of the growth of the market. That unsatisfied demand can be taken care of in Mexico to count on the conditions that facilitate the internment and permanence of the boats.
- The main potential market of greater boats is conformed by the boats of 30’ to 55’ of length, which faces limitations to sail great distances, due to its smaller autonomy.
In Mexico the nautical tourism is still a incipiente activity, due to the lack of regional and nautical infrastructure, particularly in the mid region of the Baja California Peninsule, that facilitates the internment of boats, combined to the lack of information and certainty in the proceedings. Altogether, these factors are translated in conditions of insecurity and distrust that discourage to the nautical tourists.
In order to take care of this situation and to detonate the gradual growth and sharp of the nautical tourism in the region, and to contribute this way to the fortification of the competitive capacity of the country, reorienting the efforts towards an integral advantage of the tourist potential, FONATUR with their experience like precursory organism of the tourism planned in Mexico, decided to carry out the project Escalera Nautica del Mar de Cortes (referred only as Escalera Nautica), that is oriented to the development of a new product directed towards one of the markets of greater potential world-wide: the nautical tourism.
The Escalera Nautica is a two main stages project, with regional and national perspective, from the advantage of the existing infraestructure and with minimum investments of development, will offer to an integral supply of infrastructure and services of nautical support, aerial wagon and, and will generate sinergy and notables multiplying effects of the investment, promoting with this aim the determined participation of the Secretariats of State with attributions in this matter, of the Governments of the States of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora and Sinaloa, of thirteen coastal municipalities in those states, as well as of private investors and the social sector.
Also, it is inserted in the national and sectorial strategies that they persecute to stimulate the regional development, leaning in the participation and initiative of the state and municipal governments and of the deprived sector, to impel programs who tie to the tourist centers with their regions of influence and to extend to the populations the derived benefits, in a frame of integral planning that responds to the criteria of social, environmental and economic sustentabilidad.
By all it, it comprises of the strategic projects that the administration of President Vicente Fox has decided to impel, offering all his endorsement to him.
Its beginning represents the opportunity to give a definitive impulse to the tourist activity of Mexico responding to four basic premises that today orient the toursim industry:
- Diversification of the tourist supply
- Impulse to the sustainable regional development
- Low cost with high yield
- Fast implantation
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II Market
a) Present supply.
In the last decade, the development of the nautical infrastructure in the region experienced a significant growth. Between 1990 and the year the 2000 supply of dockage positions was increased of 1.133 to 3.643 positions of dockage and 6 21 navy of private capital. This represented a growth of 12% annual average and an increase of more of the double of positions, had mainly to the participation of Cove in Baja California, where the six new navy and of Mazatlán were constructed, Sinaloa, where the nautical activity has begun to have a positive answer. The participation of Fonatur in the development nautical of the region has been definitive with the construction of the dock of Cabo San Lucas whom the development of the Runner detonated the Cabos that at the moment count on 7 tourist golf courses located in resorts oriented to the tourism of high income.
Operation of tourist navy of the region of the Sea of Cortes.
Most of navy in the Sea of Cortes they offer a satisfactory range of services. In individual navy of Cabo San Lucas, the Cid in Mazatlán, Choral Navy in Cove and Palmira in La Paz have standard stops in their infrastructure and the services that render.
- Occupation. In navy of the region the monthly occupation average throughout the year varies between 80% and the 100%.
- Average days of visit. The avarage days of visit varies based on the services and of the nautical-tourist supply that can be found in the ports, as well as of the attractive activities and that are made. In the sites where they are organized numerous events the avarage days of visit gets to be from 15 to 30 days.
- Size of the dockage positions. The marinas have capacity to take care of the greater boats of 30’ and they can receive megayates. Slip average is of 40’.
- Tariffs in marinas. The most representative tariffs of the region consider the collection of the services of navy based on the size of embarcación(foot) and the permanence (day, month and season). The quotas per day are of $1 dollar/ft/day and to the $21 month dollars/ft varies from $8 to. For effects of this Project a tariff of $1 dollar/ft/day for short stays and $12 was considered of preservative way dollars/ft/month for prolonged stays.
- Other costs.
- The Right of use of the port in marinas that are located within Administración Portuaria Integral (API) can vary of 8 to 20 dollars based on the length.
- The incline use ascends of 10 to 30 dollars.
- Marine Drought = 150 dollars per month
- To sleep in the boat = 50 dollars by person/month
- Related Services.
- Hotel of four and five stars
- Restaurant
- Minimarkets
- Incline of foundling
- Gasoline
- Electrical energy
- Pumping of wells
- Potable water
- Cable TV
- Baths and dressing rooms
- Parking
- Smaller repairs
- Maintenance to the boats
b) Future Supply.
At the moment the Puerto Salinas marine is in construction in Ensenada, that will increase the supply with 520 water positions and 240 spaces in dry, as well as Ensenada Cruiseport Village with 188 positions is in construction. Nevertheless, the expectations that the enormous market generates potential have favored the answer of the investors, who count on plans and projects by around 5.500 positions of dockage, which in agreement with the studies and investigations which they have been made would stimulate the immediate answer of the demand.
c) Competitor´s Analysis.
In the west coast of the United States exists around 84.800 distributed positions of dockage in the states of California that count on 61.700, Washington with 15.600 exists and Oregon with 7,500. In California, the supply is concentrated in the south of the state, in the counties of Ventura, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego, where 95 navy with around 38.800 positions are located, 63% of the total of the organization.
In recent years growth in this supply is not registered and expansion plans do not exist, although a great number of navy is not responding to the greater demand of positions for boats greater than it is appearing.
Operation of tourist marinas of the state of California
- Occupation. At the moment the marinas are recovering levels of total occupation, from 80% to 95%, existing a greater demand in marinas that count on positions for boats of 30’ to 60’ of length, whereas an suboccupation in the positions of 20’ exists; to 30’.
- Tariffs in marinas.
- Most of marinas receives the rent of the positions per month. Asked for marinas more receive between $12 and $15 dollars by ft/month and in some cases get to establish contracts of renting per year.
- The rent tariffs vary based on the local demand between $7 dollars and $14 dollars by ft/month. The best one located receives tariffs higher than they vary from $14 to $18 and that they can rise up to $27 dollars by ft/month.
- Other costs.
- Use of incline: $4.5 to $6,5 dollars
- Pumping of wells: $25 dollars
- Tariff by maintenance: $0,8-$2,0 dollars
- Gallon of diesel engine: $1,0-$1,5 dollars
- Marine drought: $13,0 dollars to the month by foot
- Characteristics of marinas of California.
- Controlled access
- Services of water, electrical energy and telephone in wharves
- Baths and showers
- Squares
- Facilities for laundry
- Wharves for the supplying with fuel
- Pumping stations of wells
- Service of mechanics
- Recycling of lubricants
- Inclines to hurl boats
- Sale of bait
d) Demand.
- Affluence of boats to the Region of the Sea of Cortes.
The internment from boats to the region is made mainly from the United States as much by sea, through Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas, like by land through the border entrances of Tijuana, Mexicali, Sonoyta and Nogales towards the destinies of Ensenada, San Felipe, Puerto Peñasco and Bahia San Carlos-Guaymas. In agreement with the tendencies of the analyzed ports, a high growth in Ensenada of an annual 18% with respect to marinas of the Cabos and La Paz where is observed an avarage growth between 1% and 2%, derived in the first case from their proximity with the United States, whereas towards the South, the nonexistence of favorable conditions inhibits that mainly medium size boats don not enter because of its less autonomy to move.
An aspect that is important to emphasize is the narrow relation between the growth of the supply and the demand. Before the growth of the supply an auto answer of the demand exists. For example in the case of the Cabos a tendency is observed the loss in the growth of the number of boats, due to the saturation of marinas. On the contrary, in Ensenada, the growth of boats shows an important increase due to the expansion of the supply. In 1990, practically Ensenada did not count with marinas supply. From 1993 the construction of most of the existing nautical infrastructure began, being observed a significant increase in 1996 with the construction of Marina Coral, with 387 positions more, which caused that the number of boats was increased in a 60% from 1995 to 1997.
Marine Internment.
The main marine accesses to the region are the ports of Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas.
Ensenada
Ensenada constitutes the first port of entrance from the north by the Pacific coast. By this port arrived 1.240 boats in 1997, being observed a tendency accelerated in the growth of the demand equivalent to a rate of the 17,8% in annual average. The experienced growth meant that the number of boats of 1997 with respect to 1993 was duplicated.
By its proximity to the United States, particularly to California, most of the boats that arrive at Ensenada come from that country (80%). The originating boats of other ports of the foreigner represent 13% and only one mini part (7%) comes from the south.
The number of boats that comes from the United States grows with a rate of the 17,7% in annual average. The boats that come from other foreign ports grow to a 42,5% reason why they are increasing significantly its participation, whereas the boats that come from the south ones as soon as they manage to maintain its growth, that it gets to be until negative in the case of which they arrive from Cabo San Lucas.
Cabo San Lucas.
This port constitutes the marine access door to the Sea of Cortes, by which they arrive in average around 1.300 boats at the year. From 1993 to 1996, this port showed a rate of growth near 12%. Nevertheless, from 1996 to 1998, it has displayed negative rates that mean a diminution of 26% of the number of arrivals.
In Cabo San Lucas the composition of the market per origin varies significantly to the one of Ensenada, being a great inner destiny of attractive as much for the boats that come from the north like of the south. In 1998 they arrived at this port 1.435 boats from which 60% came from the United States, 25% came from the south and 15% of the local region.
La Paz
This port constitutes a traditional destiny of the Sea of Cortes, by which they arrive in average around 700 boats at the year. From 1993 to 1998, this port showed a rate of growth near 2% due to the erratic fluctuations that it has had in the arrival of boats.
Arrival Seasons
In Ensenada the affluence of boats tends more to be balanced during the year due to the proximity with San Diego and other neighboring counties of Los Angeles, which allows him to be visited making relatively short passages and to tell on the necessary supports for navigation, concentrating itself the flow in the months of July and September to October.
In Cabo San Lucas, the arrival season is much more marked, being higher during the months of November to March when are better climatic conditions for navigation. This situation worsens by the lack of supports that allow to make more secure the route from the United States.
The months of greater affluence are in general November and December and very particularly in La Paz the months of March, April and May due to the events that are organized.
e) Potential market.
During the second semester of 1999, FONATUR made an investigation with the intention of knowing the probable answer of the nautical market of the southwest of the United States, in particular of California and Arizona, to the Escalera Nautica project.
Between the excellent aspects of the investigation it emphasize: the identification of the potential market, the characteristics, expectations, interests, needs and habits, as much of the proprietors of boats which they would sail towards the Sea of Cortes using the traditional route or the Terrestrial Bridge, like of which, by so large reduced his, could tow them to ports near the border, same that constitutes the segments of interest of the project.
The investigation was made in five coastal counties of the south of California, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and Ventura, and in three inner counties, Imperial, Riverside and San Bernardino; as well as, in the cities of Phoenix and Tucson in the state of Arizona.
The investigation included:
- The compilation of statistical and documentary information in Mexico and the United States on registries of boats and marinas.
- Interviews with fifteen experts of the three segments of the nautical market using the Delphi method.
- Three groups of approach with representative people of each segment.
- A survey between owners of boats in California and Arizona, for which 1.200 questionnaires processed with the opinion of the experts were distributed more than, to obtain 300 representative ones that allow to generalize the results. The level of precision of the total sample is + 5,8% and for the individual samples by segment + 9,8%, with a level of 95% reliability.
In the states of California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado exist 1,65 million registered boats, 531.000 of greater them of 16 feet of length. By his size and place of residence, one calculates that 52 thousand boats constitute the potential market of the Escalera Nautica.
The waited for growth of this fleet is elevated, being considered that for period 2001-2010, the boats that can make the passage grow to the 3,2% to reach a total of 76.400 boats.
At the moment esteem that to the region arrive 8.600 boat to the year, of which the 80% be towable and 20% make the passage by the Pacific.
The segments towards which the project is oriented are the group of towable and the one of greater marine boats of 30’ registered in the state of California and more of 40’ of length registered in Oregon and Washington, that count on navigation aids and fuel tanks with more than 300 gallons of capacity in the case of the motor boats, and whose proprietors have more than 20 days to take holidays.
- Towable boats of 18’ to 23’ originating of California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. The boats of 24’ to 30’ they are too great to be transferred by a vehicle in long distances and too small to make the passage by sea. Boats of more of 55’ of length with capacity to make great passages.
Profile of the Demand
Now some of the most excellent characteristics of the profile of the demand and on the acceptance of the project are related.
- Proprietors of boats of 30’ to 55’ of length:
- 70% are greater of 45 years.
- 49% are profesionistas.
- 67% win more than $100.000 USD to the year.
- Family and friends travel with.
- 95 nautical miles in average to the day travel.
- 10% use paid crew.
- 205 USD of cost daily average by person during the passage.
- 77% would consider to leave their boat by a time prolonged in the Sea of Courteous.
- Proprietors of greater boats of 55’ of length:
- 88% are greater of 45 years.
- 56% are retired
- 56% win more than $100.000 USD to the year.
- Family and friends travel with.
- 78 nautical miles in average to the day travel.
- 24% use paid crew.
- 248 USD of cost daily average by person during the passage.
- 46% would consider to leave their boat by a time prolonged in the Sea of Cortes.
- Proprietors of towable boats:
- 60% are greater of 45 years
- 82% are married
- 59% are profesionistas or proprietors of a business
- 63% win more than 75.000 USD to the year.
- Wife or friends travels with
- 80% sail less than 50 miles
- 100 USD of cost daily average by person during the passage
- 22% would consider to leave their boat by a time prolonged in the Sea of Cortes.
More than half of the polled proprietors of boats their navy three or more times to the year and one more third part travel outside than 10 times; a third made trips with a duration of 15 nights or during last the three years and more sail between four and ten hours per day in a distance average of the order of 65 nautical miles
The main reasons for which they travel to Mexico are, the good guaranteed climate, the rest and the relaxation, people and the ecology, Being Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas the main destinies visited in the region.
In relation to the acceptance of the project, the experts considered that the Escalera Nautica will generate an answer favorable and immediate of the market, in individual by the Terrestrial Bridge, that considers the key element of the project to be very attractive for navigators with less experience and proprietors of shallow-draft vessels than at the moment cannot travel by the coast of the Pacific, and for that not yet they have visited the Sea of Cortes. The Terrestrial Bridge would allow to triple the number of boats that arrive at the region in not more than four years.
88% of the proprietors of boats that were polled showed that the terrestrial bridge was positive or very positive, because it will save time and money and it will reduce the wearing down of the boats.
62% said its interest in leaving its Mexican water boat per periods of prolonged time.
It is important to emphasize that it is a tourism of high periodicity, since 64% of the proprietors of motor boats and 74% of those of sailboats showed that definitively they would return to the Sea of Courteous.
The main preoccupations to travel to Mexico with their boat are: the time to arrive and to return, the Mexican legal system and the bureaucracy, the difficulties in the return trip and the security.
The Escalera Nautica is oriented to solve these preoccupations by means of the creation of the required infrastructure, the conservation and the sustainable advantage of the natural resources, proceedings facilities, elevated levels of security and the promotion to the investment in marinas and tourist services, to reach a nautical-tourist development of world-wide class, that is translated in economic benefits for the country and individual for the coastal communities of the region.
f) Demand Forecast
With object to give support to the prognosis of the demand, the potential market was determined that it considers:
- Total of boats registered in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado: 1’650,000
- Universe of the Escalera Nautica: 520,500
- Towable of 16’ to 26’: (Californian, Arizona, New Mexico and 18,5% of Colorado) 469,000
- Navigable of 26’ to 40’ (Californian, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado) 40,500
- Navigable greater of 40’ (Californian, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado) 11,000
- Potential market in the 2000: 52,675
- Towable boats of 18’ to 23’ apt for sea (5% of the universe of towable) 23,450
- Navigable boats of 30’ to 40’ (45% of the universe of 26’ to 40’) 18,225
- Greater navigable boats of 40’ 11,000
- Potential market in the 2014 _ 1 /: 91,210
- Towable boats of 18’ to 23’ apt for sea (5% of the universe of towable) 35,950
- Navigable boats of 30’ to 40’ (45% of the universe of 26’ to 40’) 34,460
- Greater navigable boats of 40’ 20,800
In order to formulate the forecast of the demand were constructed three scenes of growth, considering for each one of them the individual growth of each one of the three considered segments: of 18’ to 23’ of length, 30’ to 55’ of length and more of 55’.
For effects of the forecast growth the average scene was adopted, which part of the following assumptions:
- By effects of the Escalera Nautica, in the short term the rate of growth in the number of arrivals will be increased that its maximum level around year 2009 with the 24,3% will reach stops as of that year, to decline progressively until comparing itself in the long term with the rates of growth of the market.
- With this premise, during the period the 2002-2006 rate of growth annual average is considered of the order of the 13,1% and for period 2007-2014 of the 20,2% with which the number of arrivals is considered in 14,100 for the 2006,de which 3.217 will have as destiny a marina and the rest is towable boats that will make use of trailer Park and campings.
- In the projection of the potential market to the 2014 the scene of more preservative growth anticipated by the industry of recreational boats is adopted (4%), in agreement with the Big Boat Bull Market Drive Marine Business in 1997, NMMA.
- For the 2014, one hopes that the number of arrivals rises to 61.400, of which, 14.360 will demand a space in marinas of the region. The rest of the arrivals talks about towable boats that go into by land and constitute the potential demand to trailer parks, campings and villas and condominiums.
From the forecast of income to marinas, the calculation was done of the demand of dockage positions considering:
- The total of boats that would enter navy annually.
- The boats that would enter to remain indefinitely in the Sea of Courteous and that constitute the permanent fleet. Esteem that 34% of the boats that would enter the region annually would happen to comprise of this fleet. For effects of the prognosis the progressive reduction of this percentage was considered until 16% in 2014. With these premises, esteem that stops the year the 2006 permanent fleet will have been constituted by 5.000 boats and 17.200 in the 2014.
- In order to consider the number of positions in navy, a constant occupation of navy of 74% was considered. In agreement with the previous thing for the 2006 the development of around 4.130 new positions in marinas and of 22.850 for year 2014 would be detonated.
In order to calculate the permanent fleet in a determined year, a percentage of the income of that year to the permanent fleet of the previous year is added (it varies of 34% in the 2002 to 16% in the 2014).
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III. Description of the Project in the Long Term
The Project is predicted to be develop in three stages:
- First Stage 2001-2006. Creation of the basic infrastructure to detonate the nautical activity.
- Creation and putting in operation of the franchise system and incorporation of existing marinas.
- Construction of 12 new nautical inns.
- Modernization of the Terrestrial Bridge.
- Beginning of two new nautical centers.
- Second Stage 2007-2014. Impulse of the public and private investment to develop around 23 thousand new positions in marinas in the different tourist centers.
- Third Stage 2014-2025. Consolidation of the Project.
Altogether, Escalera Nautica will count on a network of 24 distributed nautical scales to 100 nautical miles in average, that will allow to detonate the development nautical of zones with elevated tourist potential.
At the moment already 12 of the required scales exist:
- In five of them exist marinas that serve with high quality the tourist ports of Ensenada, Los Cabos, La Paz, Bahia San Carlos-Guaymas and Mazatlán.
- In seven, it is necessary to complement its facilities: San Felipe, Santa Rosalía, Mulegé, Puerto San Carlos, Loreto, Puerto Peñasco and Topolobampo.
The Project takes advantage of the nautical and wagon facilities, existing airports and aerodromes in the region and avoca to rise the quality of the services that are lent and to complement the scales of navigation required by means of the construction of 12 nautical inns * and a terrestrial bridge for the transfer of boats between the Pacific and the Sea of Courteous.
* A inn nautical account with minimum facilities for the dockage of 25 to 50 boats, fuel wharf, building of services with restaurant, laundry, toilets, grocer's and spare parts, services of radio communication, first aid and dry navy. Next to the inn nautical it is anticipated to tell on a small hotel from 15 60 rooms. In the construction of these inns to the Federal Government and the private Governments of the States as well as investors will participate who will get up themselves through the franchise system of the Escalera Nautica.
In the determination of the nautical inns they were taken like selection criteria: the recommendable maxima day's work considering the natural autonomy of the boats, conditions of shelter to reduce the dimensions of protective installations, the existence of access roads and the proximity with a support locality that counted at least on on a medical unit of first contact and on a aeropista or aerodrome.
In addition it is anticipated:
- To modernize the four access routes from the border for towable boats.
- To incorporate twenty airports and existing aerodromes of support.
- To establish a system of distribution from fuels to the new nautical inns.
- To facilitate nautical proceedings for the internment of tourists and equipment and the investment in marinas.
With this infrastructure it is hoped to detonate the nautical activity, for which 11 zones with high potential exist which they can be constituted in nautical centers (in 8 of them already nautical and tourist infrastructure exists), where is anticipated that it is possible to develop:
According to attractive the natural conditions of shelter and to the existing ones, in general terms the potential nautical is distributed of the following way:
CONSIDERED DISTRIBUTION OF THE POTENTIAL
See Map 1 (Long Term Project of the Escalera Nautica)
See Map 4 (Distances between the different "steps" of the Escalera Nautica)
For it the strategy consists of:
a) To create the network of nautical inns by:
- The incorporation of existing marinas that already provide all services in five ports: Ensenada (Baja California), Cabo San Lucas (Baja California Sur), La Paz (Baja California Sur), Bahia San Carlos-Guaymas (Sonora) and Mazatlán (Sinaloa).
- The complementación of existing nautical facilities in seven ports: Puerto San Carlos (BCS), Puerto Loreto Port (BCS), Mulegé (BCS), Santa Rosalía (BCS), San Felipe (BC), Puerto Peñasco (SON), and Topolobampo (SIN).
- The construction of twelve new nautical inns in sites with very good natural conditions for the anchorage of boats: Cabo Colonet (BC), Punta San Carlos (BC), Santa Rosalillita (BC), Bahia de los Angeles (BC), San Luis Gonzaga (BC), Bahia de Tortugas (BCS), Punta Abreojos (BCS), San Juanico (BCS), Bahia Kino (SON), Huatabampo (SON), Altata (SIN) and Teacapán (SIN).
b) Development of nautical centers:
It is oriented to the development and consolidation of the nautical tourism, with the participation of the privat initiative, in zones whose attractive they confer a high potential to them to attract boats that remain by long periods of time in the Sea of Cortes, to increase the affluence of nautical tourists which they would return with regularity to make use of his boats, generating this way one demands permanent of lodging and other tourist services by means of:
- The creation of nautical centers to detonate: Bahia de Los Angeles (BC), Mulegé (BCS) and Cabo del Este (BCS).
- The consolidation of the nautical-tourist centers: Ensenada (BC), San Felipe (BC), Los Cabos (BCS), La Paz (BCS), Puerto Loreto (BCS), Puerto Peñasco (SON), Bahia San Carlos-Guaymas (SON), and Mazatlán (SIN).
c) To integrate the wagon infrastructure of support to:
- To develop the terrestrial bridge, modernizing 134 km of existing wagon sections between Santa Rosalillita and Bahia de Los Angeles (BC).
- To facilitate the terrestrial internment of towable boats, modernizing 154 km of the highway Mexicali-San Felipe (BC).
- To make possible the access and the supplying to the new nautical inns by means of the improvement from the ways to Cabo Colonet (15 kms), Punta San Carlos (60 kms), Bahia de Tortugas (192 kms), Punta Abreojos (88 kms) and San Juanico (107 kms).
- To modernize the signaling providing bilingual information in the highways and inns of the Escalera Nautica.
d) To integrate to the development of the nautical tourism the airport network constituted by:
- Ten airports to incorporate: Ensenada, San Felipe, La Paz, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Loreto Port, Guaymas-Bahia San Carlos, Los Mochis and Mazatlán.
- Two aerodromes to incorporate: Cabo San Lucas and La Paz.
- Eight aerodromes to improve: San Luis Gonzaga, Bahia de Los Angeles, Cabo Colonet, Bahia de Tortugas, Punta Abreojos, Puerto San Carlos, Mulegé and Puerto Peñasco.
e) To establish a system of supplying with fuel to all the inns and centers of the Escalera Nautica, with the participation of the sector deprived by means of:
- The obtaining of a masterful tax exemption of PEMEX for the fuel wharves, stations on watch and the system of distribution of the new nautical inns.
f) To facilitate the internment of boats, nautical airships, equipment and tourists by means of:
- The overhaul of the payments of taxes or rights by concept of temporary and/or permanent import and possession.
- Simplification of proceedings and payment of taxes and rights through a unique window.
g) To improve the conditions of security in the channels of marine and terrestrial access by means of:
- Programs of monitoring and aid in charge of the Secretariats of Navy, National defense and of Public Security.
- The creation of the "Blue Angeles" in charge of the Secretariats of Tourism and Enviroment and Natural Resources to provide aid and to watch the fulfillment of the dispositions in the matter of conservation of the marine resources and the insular patrimony.
h) To promote the participation of the sector deprived in the development and operation of services of the Escalera Nautica, as well as in the development of marinas and nautical centers by means of:
- The creation of a tax exemption
- The institutional support in the accomplishment and pursuit of proceedings and for the obtaining of national and international financing.
- The simplification and facilitación of proceedings through a unique window
- The overhaul of the payment of rights by concept of concessions of the Terrestrial Marine Federal Zone and the Marine Federal Zone that stimulates the investment.
i) Awaited Benefits
The tourism constitutes the most viable activity to promote the economic development of the region, which faces problems in two of its more important activities: the fishing and you assemble them.
The putting in operation of the project will allow to obtain important tourist, economic and social benefits. In period 2001-2014 it is hoped to attract of the order of 5,1 million nautical tourists, which means to elevate the affluence of 100 thousand annual tourists at the beginning of the project to 860 thousand nautical tourists at the end of the period. These visitors will allow to catch currencies by 11.250 million dollars in the period and to induce investments in hotels by 1.260 million dollars and 460 million dollars in navy. These investments will allow to create around 53 thousand uses that will benefit to the population of the communities including in the project.
Premises to consider the benefits:
- The numbers of the nautical tourists include the other tourists who enter their boat every year and tourists which they return by air and average to use their boat.
- It was considered that by each boat that remains they make 7,2 trips to the year. The avarage days of stay (visit) considered for the nautical tourists who arrive sailing is of 17 days and 7 days for the tourists with towable boats.
- The number of passengers by boat varies of 4 in the case of the towable ones and with lengths of until 30’, to 7 in the boats of 30 to 55’ and to 13 in the case of the greater boats of 65’ that they use crew.
- An avarage cost/per tourist/per travel of 2.200 dollars was considered.
- The avarage occupation of marinas is 74%
- 34% of the nautical tourists use hotel
- One troop density of 1,8 tourists by quarter was considered and an average hotel occupation of 65%.
- An investment by hotel room of 90.000 dollars was considered; of 50.000 dollars by each room in condominium and of 45.000 dollars by each room in villa.
- The unitary investment by position is of 20.000 dollars.
- The uses calculated considering 8,5 nautical uses by each 100 positions; 1,67 indirect uses by quarter and 0,83 uses by each direct use in hotels and marinas.
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IV. First Stage 2001-2006
The first stage of the Project began in 2000 and will conclude in 2006, and intends:
- To facilitate the reliable and safe access of nautical boats and tourists to the Sea of Cortes.
- To attract private investment in developments for the nautical tourist.
- The sustainable advantage of the natural resources.
- To improve the quality of life of the communities including in the project.
This stage includes the following actions:
a) To develop the franchise system of the Escalera Nautica.
One of the aspects nouns of the Escalera Nautica is the creation of a franchise system directed to investors and lenders of nautical-tourist services with object of:
b) Incorporation of existing marinas to the franchise system in the following nautical centers:
- Ensenada
- Cabo San Lucas
- La Paz
- Guaymas-Bahia San Carlos
- Mazatlán
c) To complement existing nautical facilities with investments in charge of the private sector, for its incorporation to the franchise system in the following inns and nautical centers:
- Puerto San Carlos
- Puerto Loreto
- Mulegé
- Santa Rosalía
- San Felipe
- Puerto Peñasco
- Topolobampo
d) Acquisition of Territorial Reserves.
One of the high-priority actions during the first stage is the acquisition by donation, buys or association of the territorial reserves:
- Acquisition of 9 zones from 5 to 15 has each one, for the development of the new nautical inns
- Acquisition of 700 has for the construction of two new nautical centers.
See Map 3 (Acquisition of Territorial Reserves of the Escalera Nautica)
e) Nautical development of twelve inns and two centers.
In the construction of these nautical inns they will participate the Federal Government, the Governments of the States and private investors, and intends to facilitate the passage in the Pacific Ocean of the boats of 30’ to 55’ that they will use the terrestrial bridge and of the greater ones of 55’ that they will continue sailing towards the south. The inns will be located in the following sites:
- Cabo Colonet (BC).
- Punta San Carlos (BC).
- Santa Rosalillita (BC).
- Bahia de Los Angeles (BC).
- San Luis Gonzaga (BC).
- Bahia de Tortugas (BCS)
- Punta Abreojos (BCS)
- San Juanico (BCS)
- Bahia Kino (SON).
- Huatabampo (SON).
- Altata (SIN).
- Teacapán (SIN).
The new nautical centers intend to create the great front door to the Sea of Cortes, to detonate the nautical corridor Puerto Loreto-Bahia de la Conception, generating a supply of 1.800 new positions in marinas in the following sites:
- Bahia de los Angeles (it corresponds to facilities different from the Inn Nautical of the same name)
- Puerto Loreto
Description of products:
Nautical Inns
It is a marine and terrestrial minimum installation kit with variable capacity between 25 and 50 boats in water and up to 40 in dry, in where the following services are provided:
- Dockage in floating wharves with services of water, energy, telephone and satelite TV.
- Fuel provision to boats and terrestrial vehicles.
- Water provision and unloading of wells
- Migratory services.
- Radio communication,
- Aid in cases of emergency.
- Drag boats.
- Deperting points of boats.
- Weather data.
- Tourist information and of aids to navigation
- Support personel, computing and Internet.
- Sale of bait and equipment of fishing.
- Food supply and sale of spare parts.
- Sale of drinks and prepared foods.
- Marine drought and foundling of boats.
- Smaller repairs.
- Basic lodging between 15 and 60 rooms.
An avarage nautical inn is developed in an approximated surface of 12,0 has in where 4,6 have are water areas and 7,4 have are earth surfaces, which they include 2,4 has of terrain taken to the sea. Of the total of the earth surface, 1,8 have are for marine dry, 1,5 has for the nautical terminal, road and infrastructure and 4,1 have for tourist lodging.
The water areas of controlled access include:
- Waterbreakers.
- Access channels.
- Dock of turn.
- Dock of dockage.
- Floating combs or wharves with services.
- Fuel wharf.
- Marine signalling.
The earth areas include/understand:
- Nautical terminal, that it includes:
- Harbor authorities. (honorary Delegate)
- Delegations of migration and health (in the case of nautical centers from entrance to the region).
- Administrative offices.
- Spaces for:
- Store of convenience and spare parts.
- Snack-bar.
- Laundry.
- Baths and dressing rooms.
- Levee.
- Incline of double foundling.
- Marine drought.
- Smaller repair shop.
- Powerboat.
- Roads and parking.
- Generating plant of electrical energy.
- Desaladora plant.
- House of the administrator of the marina.
- Plant of processing for residual waters.
- Two lots urbanized for tourist lodging with capacity for 120 quarters altogether.
Nautical Center.
The nautical center is an integral touristic project, developed in a total surface of 330 has, that consists of tourist marina and urbanized lands for the development of hotel supply, real estate and tourist services, and in some cases even golf courses.
Tourist Marina.
It is a marine and terrestrial installation kit with capacity until for 500 boats in water and 400 in dry, where the following services are provided:
- Dockage in floating wharves with services of water, energy, telephone and satelite TV.
- Fuel provision to boats and terrestrial vehicles.
- Water provision and unloading of wells
- Migratory services.
- Radio communication,
- Aid in cases of emergency.
- Drag boats.
- Medical emergencies
- Departure point of boats.
- Weather data.
- Tourist information and of aids to navigation
- Automatic tellers
- Support personel, computing and Internet.
- Sale of bait and equipment of fishing.
- Food supply and sale of spare parts.
- Sale of drinks and prepared foods.
- Rent of vehicles.
- Travel agency.
- Marine drought and foundling of boats.
- Greater maintenance and repairs.
The marina is developed in a surface of 40,0 has, with capacity between 250 and 500 positions in water and if its the case between 100 and 400 spaces in dry storage.
The water areas with controlled access include:
- Waterbreaker.
- Access channel.
- Dock of turn.
- Dock of dockage.
- Floating wharves and combs
- Fuel wharf
- Marine signalling.
The earth areas include:
- Harbor authorities (Delegated honorary)
- Delegations of migration and health
- Administration of the marina
- Infirmary
- Space for:
- Stores of convenience
- Stores of spare parts.
- Article stores and sport clothes.
- Restaurants and bars.
- Travel agency.
- Rent of vehicles.
- Pharmacy.
- Center of businesses.
- Lockers.
- Laundry
- Marine drought.
- Inclines of foundling.
- Powerboat for terrestrial vehicles.
- Desaladora plant.
- Plant of residual water processing
- Roads and parking.
Lands urbanized for seconds and third developers of hotels, condominiums, villas, commerce, services and golf course, in a total surface of 290 have.
The real estate supply in each nautical center is constituted by:
- 46.0 has for hotels and condominiums with capacity for 1.840 quarters.
- 24.0 has for villas and residences.
- 20.0 has for mid-class houses.
- 22.0 has for commerce and tourist services.
- 118.0 has for a golf course of 27 holes.
- 60.0 has for roads, works of head, donations and green areas.
f) To develop the Terrestrial Bridge for the transfer of boats between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortes (the necessary investment for the construction of the wagon infrastructure is in charge of the Secretariat of Communications and Transports and are made with fiscal resources, reason why it is not included for effects of the financial evaluation).
In order to prepare the terrestrial bridge, the Secretariat of Communications and Transports with fiscal resources of the Federal Government will carry out the following actions:
- To modernize, to extend to 12 meters and to pave in a length of 16,2 km the rural way, Wagon section Transpeninsular-Santa Rosalillita.
- To modernize, to extend to 12 meters, to construct 15 km in road pair and to recover pavements in a length of 38,2 km the Transpeninsular Highway, section Punta Prieta-Paralelo 28.
- To modernize, to extend to 12 meters and to recover pavements in a length of 65,4 km the nourishing highway federal Punta Prieta-Bahia de los Angeles.
g) To improve the routes of terrestrial internment of towable boats from the border zone.
It is oriented to the market of smaller towable boats of 23’ that they enter by the border ports of Tijuana and Mexicali (BC) or by Sonoyta and Nogales (SON).
In order to make the improvement of the routes of terrestrial internment the Secretariat of Communications and Transports with fiscal resources of the Federal Government will carry out the following actions:
- Bilingual signalling in the access routes Tijuana-Ensenada; Mexicali-San Felipe; Sonoyta-Puerto Peñasco; Hermosillo-Bahia Kino; and Nogales-Bahia San Carlos-Guaymas.
- Modernization and extension to two bodies of the Mexicali-San Felipe highway in a section of 154 km.
See Map 2 (First Stage 2001-2006 of the Escalera Nautica)
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V. Environmental and social aspects of the Project
a) History.
The Secretariat of Medio.ambiente and Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT) has made numerous environmental studies of the region in different approaches, that cover in regional the Program of Marine Ecological Ordering of the Region of the Sea of Cortes, concluded in his first and second phase.
Also, it has made the Programs of Handling of the Natural Areas Protected between which they are the one of "Islands of the Gulf of California", "Reserve of the Biosphere High Gulf of California and Delta of the Colorado River", "Reserve of the Biosphere the Vizcaíno and of the "Natural Park of Bahia de Loreto".
Other made environmental studies talk about the Ecological Orderings of the Tijuana-Rosarito-Ensenada Corridor, San Felipe-Puertecitos, Los Cabos and Bahia Magdalena Corridor, environmental comprises of the Programs of Tourist Ordering and which they are made in specific zones, and in which the criteria of physical planning of the territory are identified, the conceptual and formal design of the Masterful, required the tourist structure and basic Plan and settle down strategic lines of action which they assure the technical viability, economic, social and environmental and the required programs of investment.
b) Environmental and Social Characterization of the Region of the Sea of Cortes.
- The region of the Sea of Cortes occupies a continental surface of 383 thousands km2 that represent the 19,8% of the national territory and is inhabited by 7,6 million inhabitants in the 4 states, by 3,2 million inhabitants in the 13 coastal municipalities in which the nautical scales which they integrate the Project and by 965.000 inhabitants in the 22 localities selected like scales are located.
- Its coastal perimeter is constituted by near 6.700 km of the coast that represent around 40% of the national total, which around 3.500 km the California Gulf of or Sea of Cortes corresponds to it.
- Account with 4.000 km2 of insular surface in its 922 islands and small barren islands (78% of the national total) and 283.000 Km2 of patrimonial sea that gets to reach greater depths to the 4.000 meters, with sandy and rocky bottoms with soft chorales; 256,413 have to manglar and 600 thousands have of coastal lagoons.
- In the region 40% of the Protected Natural Areas of the country are located, some of considered them like reserves of the biosphere, between which they are the High Gulf of California and Delta of the Colorado, Islands of the Gulf, Isla del Tiburón, El Vizcaíno, Isla Guadalupe, Pinacate Desert and Grand Desert of Altar, Mountain range of San Pedro Martyr, Los Cirios Valley and the Marine Parks of Bahia de Loreto and Cabo Pulmo.
- 5.944 species of macrofauna exist, 383 of which they only are in the Gulf. In their islands 600 species of plants exist, 65 of reptiles, 40 of mammals, 134 of terrestrial birds and 45 of migratory and resident birds.
- By its geographic situation, the Region of the Sea of Cortes has a great wealth of natural landscapes, delimited by the great coastal plains of intermontanos valleys of the Mountain range Western Mother and zones of desert in rocky Sonant and the formation of the Peninsula of Baja California in which altitudes of more appear than 2.000 ms.
- The geologic conditions and the tectonic efforts which the Peninsula of Baja California was put under gave origin to the formation of the mountain range that crosses it longitudinally and that it initiates with the Mountain range of Juárez, she continues with the Mountain range of San Pedro Martyr where it is divided in smaller mountain ranges with different names to continue with the smaller Mountain range of the Giganta and other mountain ranges towards the south.
- The dominant climatic pattern in the region is the dry climate, one of warmest than they register themselves, followed in smaller proportion by the humid climate delimited by small areas of the mountainous areas of the north and very small ones of the south of the Peninsula of Baja California. Similar case is had in the North part and orients of the Sinaloa and Sonora states, in small areas in the northern portion of the Mountain range Western Mother.
- The desert condition and the rain shortage dominate the climate of the Peninsula of Baja California whose geographic location locates it in the limit of other climatic systems, factor that determines the high variability of its climate. The Maxima temperature average at the warm time of the year is of 32º C and the minimum temperature average is of 9º C.
- The month of September is the Maxima season of cyclones that come from the south of the Mexican Pacific and penetrate by the coasts going into in the continental bulk of the region, which makes navigation in that coast very difficult.
- 60% of the fishing captures of Mexico are made in the region, (60% in the Coast of Pacific and 40% in the Sea of Cortes). In its waters they are captured more than 70 species like the shrimp sardine, tuna, calamaries, lobsters, clams, squid, shark, pargo and sawhorse with a value of production that exceeds the 300 million dollars to the year.
- The economic activity of the region has taken to the development of an important distributed harbor infrastructure in more than 60 ports of height and cabotage (15 commercial ones, 20 fishing boats, 8 oil tankers and 17 tourist ones).
- In its coastal plain an important agricultural activity (concentrates 50% of the surface of irrigation of the country and it contributes 40% of the national agricultural production) and of camaronicultura is developed (90% of the national production are made in their coasts).
- The sport fishing of species like marlin, fish guards and gilded during the summer and of sawhorses, mountain ranges and pargos in the cold months, he is powerful an attractiveness from tourists to the region, which has detonated the tourist development of hotels, navy and other services in 17 ports or main centers, between which they emphasize Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas, Loreto-Nopoló-Puerto Escondido, La Paz, Guaymas-Bahia San Carlos, Mazatlán, Puerto Peñasco and San Felipe.
- One of attractive natural the most important ones and known is the sighting of the Gray Whale whose mating and reproduction are made during the months of November and December in the coastal lagoons of Baja California, in sites like Black Guerrero, the Lagoon Eye of Hare, Lagoon San Ignacio and Magdalena Bay, emigrating as of February again towards the Arctic in a route of 9.600 km (6 to 8 weeks).
- Attractive the cultural ones are defined in 7 sites with cave paintings, 4 archaeological zones, 29 jesuitas and Dominican missions, 21 mining sites of religious architecture and towns, 18 sites with regional crafts and the vitivinícola valley of Guadalupe.
c) Present Situation.
- Elevated the potential tourist navigation and of the region has generated growth processes spontaneous that do not respond to no criterion of planning, normatividad and regulation, giving rise to the irregular occupation of the front of the coast by the speculative and fraudulent sale of strategic lands, in fractions narrow and extended that cancel their later advantage, as well as to the illegal construction of peaks and sport to the furtive fishing as much as commercial, due to the little or null monitoring.
- On the other hand the SEMARNAT has made studies and programs in their different levels from approach as they are the Program of Marine Ecological Ordering of the Region of the Sea of Cortes, Programs of Handling of the Natural Areas Protected and Programs of Ecological Ordering of different zones from the territory that offer an ample frame of planning and environmental regulation of the region.
- The project takes advantage of and optimizes the nautical, wagon and airport installed capacity, leaning in a network of 24 tourist scales conformed by centers and nautical inns, located to distances of 100 nautical miles in average throughout the 6.700 kilometers of its coastal coast, 12 of existing them (5 with all services and 7 to complement) and raises the creation of 12 new inns that will offer minimum nautical facilities with services of high quality for the cleaning of wells, potable water and residual water processing, that avoids negative impacts.
- Eight of the new nautical inns are located in Protected Natural Areas, four of which they are located in the Cirios Valley where not yet the specific normatividad for the development settles down nautical.
- The work of the terrestrial bridge, determining factor of the Project, will be made modernizing the present way between Santa Rosalillita and Bahia de los Angeles, same whom the only possibility constitutes practically of crossing between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California in the average and high part of the Peninsula.
- The location of the new nautical inns considered the analysis of currents, tides, winds and bathymetry, selecting themselves the sites naturally protected that offer the best conditions of anchorage and imply smaller modifications, to avoid the nautical work accomplishment great.
See Map 5 (Protected Natural Areas of the Escalera Nautica)
d) Considerations on the impacts of the Project.
- The Project recognizes the biodiversity of the Sea of Cortes or Gulf of California and raises it like one of its main strengths and necessary condition for its development, based on the scenic beauty, the natural wealth and the environmental balance. In that sense, the tourism constitutes one of the activities of greater potential of development in region and one of the factors that can more contribute to the ecological conservation of the same one and to the economic and social development.
- The time of maturation of the project is long term, which allows to distribute its effects in the time, to develop a capacity of answer to the demands, to anticipate actions and to generate a culture and environmental education in the population and the tourists.
- Their impacts do not represent a threat for the ecosystems since its development is within the framework inserted of planning and environmental regulation derived from the General Law of the Ecological Balance and the Protection to the Atmosphere, that will allow to conserve and to recover the ecological and environmental conditions of the region and to carry out the mitigación measures, restoration and compensation of environmental impacts.
- Of the 22.850 new positions anticipated in the medium and long term around 14.000, (approximately 60%), they are in water; the rest of the positions is located in marine droughts that do not modify the coastal coast.
- Altogether, the capacity waited for in the Project represents an intensity of occupation of the coast ten times smaller than the one of the state of California (61.700 positions), where an important degree of conservation exists and negative impacts by spills, water contamination, suspension of materials or erosion of the coast have not been registered.
- Only in the five counties of the south of California 38.800 positions exist, 2,8 times more in relation to the water positions that will be constructed in the Stairs in next the 14 years.
- The 62 thousand boats that will arrive at the region in 2014, represent in average 170 daily arrivals that will sail in the 283.000 km2 of the Sea of Cortes and they will be distributed in 6.700 km of his coastal perimeter. Of the total, only 14.000 will remain in navy and the rest, that corresponds to the towable boats, will be concentrated in a few destinies and will remain in trailer parks, campings and dry navy.
- The occupied water surface, supposing hypothetical that the 14.000 boats in navy of the Sea of Courteous got to be at the same time, is of the order of 4,2 Km2, (considering an index of 300 m2 by boat), that represents the 0,000015 (fifteen millionth) of the 283.000 Km2 of its patrimonial sea.
- Also, it is hoped to receive in the first years of operation of the Project to 110 thousand tourists (year 2003) who will be increased, in the measurement in which the supply consolidates, up to 860 thousand nautical tourists in 2014, which will be distributed in the 24 sites that integrate the Stairs and that altogether as soon as they represent a 40% more than the tourists than arrive Cove at the moment (619 thousands), 65% more of the visitors to Los Cabos (520 thousands) or 11% more of those than visit Mazatlán (775 thousands).
- With the operation of Escalera Nautica the small coastal communities the Project will be able to stop being expulsoras of population, reaching a moderate but positive growth.
- The Project is not a product oriented to the massive tourism, but to the specialized tourism, that looks for sites of small scale and very under impact.
- The operation of the project, that will offer a high quality in the product and the services, orients tourists of mature age, of high income with high levels of education and environmental culture. In fact, most of the visitors comes from the Coast the West of the American Union, where a high ecological conscience exists, reason why will be first in demanding the environmental preservation of the Gulf of California. Their main reasons to visit the region are the interest by the nature and the rest, as well as the best conditions of climate and navigation that can find.
- The Project represents an opportunity to improve the conditions of life of the coastal communities, characterized by its high dispersion. At the moment a population of 960 thousand inhabitants is considered, distributed in the 24 localities that participate in the Project, 11 of them count on less than 2.500 inhabitants, who often remain incomunicados and with difficulties to obtain the minimum satisfactores.
- The greatest localities grow to a similar rate or slightly by above of the national average, whereas the small ones present/display smaller rates to 1% in annual average, which implies the emigration of their settlers in search of work opportunities.
- The operation of the Project will allow to create 53.000 thousand direct jobs and indirect in hotels, golf courses and in navy and it is had predicted to take care of the urban necessities and of house of the communities with which it is tried to create conditions of root of the population.
- The Project will allow to equip with wagon, marine and aerial infrastructure regional the participant states, in individual in the average part of the Peninsula of Baja California, that practically is depopulated, with a density smaller average to an inhabitant by km2, whereas in all the state of South Baja California the avarage density is 5.7 person/km2, almost ten times smaller than the national average that is 50 person/km2.
e) Strategic Points of the Project in Environmental and Social Matters.
The Project grants the highest priority to the environmental and social aspects to guarantee its sustainable development, under the following premises:
- It provides the frame of planning and coordination of actions, policies and strategies between the four states and the Federation to build homogenous criteria and to establish the synchronization of actions that avoid the environmental, urban and social deterioration, by means of actions of prevention, ordering and development that restrain the negative processes of spontaneous growth and the irrational operation of the resources.
- The Escalera Nautica is based on the criteria and principles of the planned tourism reason why have been conceived like an integral project that will take care of the environmental and social aspects throughout the implantation process:
- In the stage of planning of the project, by means of the selection of the sites more adapted for each use of the ground, indicating the best options of natural, social advantage and economically sustainable.
- In the construction stage, the actions and measures of attenuation and mitigation of the environmental impacts will be carried out.
- In the operation stage, it will be made the design and execution of monitoreo practices and conservation of the natural resources, as well as specific programs of prevention and environmental attention of risks and contingencies.
- In the Escalera Nautica project the experience that has been reached in environmental and city-planning matter, by means of the application measures which they contemplate the normatividad and the regulation of the uses of the ground as well as of the activities will take advantage of that will be developed so much in the sea as in the continental area, supported in the results of the Ecological Orderings and the Programs of Handling of the Protected Natural Areas, the Programs of Urban Development of the Centers of Population and studies to determine the lifting capacity of the ecosystems.
- It will take care of the basic norms and criteria as they are:
- Plants of Processing of black waters.
- Plants of desaladoras.
- Reusability of the water treated like water for irrigation.
- Establishment of a harvesting system and disposition of the solid remainders.
- Establishment of a continuous system of monitoreo of the environmental quality: quality of the water, evaluation of the ground, evaluation of the vegetation and the fauna.
- Accomplishment of plans and programs of attention of risks and environmental contingency.
- Accomplishment of manifestations of environmental impact of all nautical works and the regional infrastructure.
- Installation of protective barriers that avoid the dispersion of materials when some work is made in contact with water.
- Design of the stations of fuel provision according to the specifications indicated by PEMEX.
- Installation of systems of hydrocarbon absorption of the boats for the cases of accidental spills.
- The new located nautical inns in Protected Natural Areas will be become attached to the criteria that settle down in the respective programs of handling, privileging in the zones of nautical-tourist advantage the scenic, landscaping and recreational values: Los Cirios Valley (Cabo Colonet, Punta San Carlos, Santa Rosalillita and Bahaia de los Angeles in BC); El Vizcaíno (Bahia de Tortugas, Punta Abreojos and Santa Rosalía in BCS) and Marine Park Bay of Loreto (Puerto Escondido).
- The project constitutes a source important to generate resources that can be applied to the administration, investigation, conservation and rescues environmental.
- One considers the incorporation of the universities and local and regional research centers as interlocutors described and consultative agencies and consultant's office who support the accomplishment of the studies of the average physicist and manifestations of environmental impact.
- The project anticipates to develop a franchise system that among other services will allow to monitoring the route of the boats and with it it will be possible to be helped to control and to administer the flows of visitors to the ANP to avoid the saturation or overloads.
- In the matter of social development the attention to the necessities of the community by means of the following actions that will carry out the Governments of the States and Municipalities, between that considers are counted:
- To open communication channels and consults to incorporate the population of the receiving localities of the Project to inform, to spread the social benefits and to receive its opinion.
- Programs of Urban Development of Centers of Population of the receiving localities of the Project and programs to take care of and to improve the basic services of infrastructure, equipment and house and the urban image.
- Programs of qualification in coordination with the SECTUR that allows their incorporation to the activities derived from the Project.
- Programs of Development of the Community to prevent and to avoid social problems and to fortify the identity and the root of the population through the generated use.
- One of the first effects of social benefit, will be generated with the construction of the projects when elevating the capital gain of surrounding lands to the estates where these are located.
f) Interinstitutional Coordination.
- The 21 of February of 2001 the Agreement was signed, where the Federation through 7 Secretariats of State and 3 federal agencies participate, the Governments of the States of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora and Sinaloa, the Tourist Enterprise National Council and the Mexican Association of Tourist Navy with the intention of uniting their efforts and resources, committing themselves to give him to priority to the Project in their programs and respective budgets, and within the framework to coordinate its actions of its respective competitions.
- The agreement with the SEMARNAT for the formulation has been taken from the Program of Regional Ecological Ordering of the Sea of Cortes, which will indicate what and where to develop, with what degree and where will not be developed.
- The Governments of each State and FONATUR assume the commitment of which all action that is carried out in relation to the Project gives to faithful fulfillment to the environmental dispositions reason why they will make or promote the accomplishment of the MIA’s of the new marine nautical inns or that are located within them.
- The Project takes in consideration the marine and terrestrial natural resources for the protection from the flora and the fauna, as well as the advantage and conservation of the islands reason why take care of the dispositions of the Program of Handling of the Areas of Protection of Flora and Fauna of the Islands of the Gulf processed by the SEMARNAT, to regulate the visits based on its lifting capacity.
- It will be inserted and it made compatible with the Programs of Ecological Ordering of the Territory and Handling of the Protected Natural Areas (ANP) processed by the SEMARNAT, incorporating the ecological norms and criteria in:
- The nautical construction of the inns and centers that are located within a ANP.
- The establishment of ecoturísticos circuits of sea and earth, detailing the activities that can be made, the species in observation, duration of the trip and dwell time in each site, routes, forms of transport, tourist and environmental information.
- The ordering and regulation of it visits to the ANP based on its lifting capacity.
- In order to elevate the conditions of life of the population, the Federal Government has been suitable with the Governments of the States and the Municipalities to apply the following actions:
- Regularization of the Earth possession of the parcels where the donated or alienated fraction is located to FONATUR (Title of total dominion granted by MRS.).
- To make plans and programs of urban development of all the localities that participate in the Project, to order its present and future growth.
- To correct late project in basic services supply: potable water, electrical energy, residual water sewage system, processing and roads.
- To improve the basic services of supply, education and health.
- Programs of house, with the INFONAVIT aid.
- To incorporate to the population to the use generated by the nautical-tourist activity.
- Nautical qualification in tourism and services like mechanics, operators of radio communication, repairs and painting.
- Technical attendance and promotion to small and medium tourist companies of the own localities and throughout the ecoturísticos circuits of sea and earth like Topolobampo-Barrancas del Cobre, Loreto-Pinturas Rupestres, Route of the Missions, Wine Valleys of Baja California.
- In fulfillment to the commitments derived from the Agreement Frame, it was created at federal level work group of the highest level in that SECTUR, SEMARNAT and FONATUR participate, with object to take care of the aspects environmental in the matter of:
- General strategy
- Communication
- Criteria of investment and conservation
- Inspection and monitoring.
- It is contemplated to create with the support of the SECTUR and the SEMARNAT "Blue Angels", for taken care of and conservation of the marine and ecological resources in the ANP and to render assistance, information and direction to the tourist.
- In the matter of coordination, the work group of Strategic Coordination was created conformed at the highest level by the signers of the Agreement Frame, which constitutes the device director to give fulfillment him.
- The work groups of State Coordination in each one of the states were created participants, headed by the Governor in whom all the dependencies participate state and municipal and the federal delegations that have direct relation with the Escalera Nautica, which have between their functions:
- To participate in the programming of actions and investments
- To support in the obtaining of the territorial reserves
- To give to pursuit to the executive projects and works
- To orchestrate the environmental and social policy in the local scope.
g) Strategy of Communication of the Project.
Objective:
- To inform to the social, conservacionistas population, organizations, unions, community academic and mass media so that they know, support, participate and spread benefits environmental and social of the Escalera Nautica.
- To make an ample campaign of diffusion emphasizing the real dimension of the impacts, benefits and the specific actions that will be carried out in environmental and social matter stop to reach the sustainable development.
Action Guidelines:
To make campaigns of promotion and diffusion in each State and to national and international level with the support of the Council of Tourist Promotion of Mexico it stops:
- a) To provide opportune and systematic information to conservacionistas organizations the premises, regional and international and mass media.
- b) To cause the approach with union leaders of opinion and leaders, informing them into project.
- c) To incorporate to the universities and local and regional research centers like advisers and consultative agencies.
- d) To inform and to spread to the population on the social benefits of the Project, with support of universities and local research centers like described interlocutors.
- e) To incorporate the Project to the world-wide Web, with a page of highest quality that project like a located unique product in a region of exceptional characteristics.
- f) To promote the use of the Internet like diffusion means and to receive opinions and recommendations for the project.
- g) To spread informative capsules in the average premises of communication.
- h) To carry out promotional tours and press conferences.
- i) To promote radio, newspapers and brochures announcements.
- j) To promote infantile aids of posters
- k) To publish news articles in specialized magazines and of general circulation.
- l) It will make documentary talks and transmission of in schools or collection points communitarian.
- m) To distribute to memories or allusive reasons to the Project
- n) To distribute conferences by specialists in the subject directed to the greater community that interrelation has with each one of the project elements and its interrelation with means atmosphere.
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VI. Institutional Support
a) Agreement Frame.
The 21 of February an Agreement was signed Frame between 7 dependencies and 3 organizations of the Federation, the 4 participant States and the private Sector in order to unite its efforts and resources, committing itself to give him to priority to the Project in its programs and respective budgets, and within the framework to coordinate its actions of its respective competitions.
b) Fonatur-States Agreements
The agreement of collaboration between FONATUR has been celebrated and the State of Sinaloa and in year 2001 will be celebrated with each one of the rest of the participant states, where need and detail to the corresponding actions to which they commit each one of them. Between their more outstanding aspects the commitments for the contribution of the territorial reserves settle down, their participation in the construction of the nautical and wagon basic infrastructure, as well as the urban planning of the localities and the application of programs to take care of basic necessities, late projects as much as new requirements.
c) Approval like Project of Investment.
The Secretariat of Property and Public Credit authorized to Fonatur the Project of Investment for the Escalera Nautica like a project of multiannual investment with programmatic opening. In the Budget of Debits of the Federation and in the State of Baja California, resources for one first stage were authorized to develop in this organization.
d) Trusts
the creation of a Trust is promoted that allows to combine and to administer contributions of federal resources and the State Governments and in their case of individuals to conduct the battles of the project.
e) Territorial reserves.
Fonatur and the Governments of the States will acquire the territorial reserves by a total of 60 has for the 12 new nautical inns, counting itself to the date with 5 has in Santa Rosalillita, (BC) and 5 have in New Altata (SIN).
It is had programmed to obtain the 50 are rest during years 2001 and 2002. Fonatur counts on budgetary resources to acquire 15 has for the new inns of Cabo Colonet, Punta San Carlos and San Luis Gonzaga (BC).
General listing of Organisms, Federal Government Secretariats and State Governments involved in the Escalera Nautica megaproject
* Important: The Basic Document of the project Escalera Nautica of the Sea of Cortes (including its maps) is responsibility and exclusive property of the National Tourism Fund (Fonatur) and is republished only for informative uses. Possible mistakes and/or involuntary errors are an exclusive responsibility of their authors. Explanations or doubts on the document please consult it with the main directorate of Fonatur.
© 2001 Escalera Nautica.com Todos los derechos reservados / All rights reserved.
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