The
ports of call will be doorways to
the Integral Tourist Regions, as well
as service centers with low impact
facilities and varying capacities
depending on market conditions and
environmental permits. They will provide
basic boating support services and,
where appropriate, help with international
entry procedures for tourists, their
boats and equipment, and port entry
and departure formalities throughout
the Region.
The
process of selecting sites for
the ports of call employed criteria
having to do with ecology, economics,
tourism and social welfare.
The ecological criteria included
the need to preserve areas with
very fragile and valuable ecosystems.
They also recognized the desirability
of siting the facilities where
natural conditions such as the
depth of the sea, water currents,
wind, wave action and |
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tides
minimized the need for construction,
reducing undesirable environmental
impact, in accordance with programs
for management of Protected
Nature Areas and the Region’s
ecological regulations. |
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In
terms of economic criteria, the process
sought places where either natural
conditions or the presence of marinas
or port facilities offered an opportunity
to leverage and improve return on
existing investments and simultaneously
avoiding use of fishing grounds which
sustain local village economies.
Tourist
criteria considered not only the demand
for pleasure boating services, but
also each area’s potential attractiveness
in the regional framework. Finally,
in terms of social welfare, site selection
for the ports of call took into account
the presence of towns for which tourism
would create better paid permanent
jobs, improved living conditions and
reasons to refrain from emigration.
The
ports of call provide the following
basic services:
-Temporary moorings, ramps and dry
storage
-Water, electricity, and when possible,
telephone and satellite television
service at the slip
-Fuel for boats and land vehicles,
pump-out facilities, collection and
disposal of wastes and grease
-At the ports of call closest to the
border, migration, customs and port
services
-Radio communication, emergency assistance,
towing, and meteorological and navigational
information
-Tourist, environmental and social
information
-Navigational and harbor charts
-Provisioning, minor repairs and sale
of spare parts
-Transient accommodations
The
port of call will have space both
on land and in the water. The areas
in the water may include:
-Breakwaters (fixed or floating),
access channel
-Docks both for coming about and for
mooring; maritime signals
-Floating docks or buoys; fuel dock
The areas on land may include:
-Terminal building including:
-Harbor master
-Offices of migration and sanitation
(in ports of call near the border)
-Spaces for laundry, bathrooms, showers
and other services
-Cafeteria, bar, convenience store
and other tourist services
-Pier or boardwalk
-Dry storage, launching ramp, boat
lift
-Gas station and shop for minor repairs
-Electric power plant, desalinization
plant and water treatment plant
-Low density hotel.
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The
ports of call will be self-sustaining
and environmentally friendly. They
will recycle treated water; collect
and dispose of waste, oil and grease;
implement programs for the prevention
of and response to environmental risks;
permanently monitor water quality
and in general meet the standards
for such international environmental
quality certifications as the Blue
Flag or Clean Marina programs. In
each port of call there will be a
center providing information about
the Integral Tourist Regions, introducing
visitors to the Region’s natural,
cultural, economic and social attractions
and informing them about the services
and tourist attractions to be found
there. In certain ports of call, areas
will be provided for schools dedicated
to boating education and water sports;
some schools will be high performance
centers for competition athletes.
Another space will be used for a naval
post. There is also the possibility
of installing scientific research
centers in the Sea of Cortez.
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