The Sea of Cortez Region is so large and its variety of natural and cultural
attractions is so great that even experienced travelers might not know where to start; they would not be able even to get to many places because they would not know how. The Sea of Cortez Project plans to organize the supply of attractions, create what is missing, make it all accessible to the tourist, and use it for the benefit of the regional community.

	The territory extends from the Delta of the Colorado River to Cabo Corrientes and includes the Baja California Peninsula, the desert of Sonora, the southern coastal plains and the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental. It covers a surface area of 159,783 square miles of land on the peninsula and mainland, 109,267 square miles of territorial waters, almost 3,500 miles of cost and 922
islands and islets, including Revillagigedo and Islas Marías. There you can find juxtaposed Sea of Cortez landscapes and natural settings that, together, sketch incredible geographical contrasts: mountains, deserts, oases, rivers, coastal lagoons, bays, beaches and underwater canyons.

In the five states that make up this Region there are 23 protected nature areas that constitute invaluable tourist resources. They include the Upper Gulf of California, the Colorado River Delta, the Gulf Islands, San Pedro Mártir Mountains, El Vizcaíno, El Pinacate, the Great Desert of Altar and the Valley of the Cirios, ideal places for rest and relaxation, plant and animal study, hiking, mountaineering, rappelling, flight in various types of aircraft and, in general, adventure and eco-tourism.

The Gulf of California is the fourth most biologically diverse ecosystem in the world; the coastal lagoons of Guerrero Negro, San Ignacio and Magdalena Bay are breeding sanctuaries for gray whales, as some islands in the Region are for other animal species; the Pacific coastal waters are internationally recognized for surfing and those of the Gulf, for sport fishing, scuba diving, kayaking, boating, sailing and cruising, among other sports activities.

Cultural attractions are also manifold. Among them are cave paintings, like those at Sierra of San Francisco, which were declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in1993; archaeological sites; Franciscan, Jesuit and Dominican missions, like those of Comondú and San Ignacio; old towns like Mezcaltitlán, El Fuerte and Santa Rosalía; a great variety of ethnic groups, such as the Huicholes, Mayos, Yaquis, Seris and Pimas; tribal and folk art; many festivals and traditions, and a varied local gastronomy.

There are internationally prestigious tourist destinations throughout this area of the country, with important networks of infrastructure and services: hotels, condominiums, restaurants, cultural, entertainment and shopping centers, golf courses, sport clubs and marinas, among other things. They include Tijuana, Ensenada, Playas de Rosarito, La Paz, Mazatlán, Nuevo Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta and the Integrally Planned Centers Los Cabos and Loreto, of which the first three are oriented to border tourism and the others, to sun-seekers and beach-lovers. Other smaller centers cater to arriving border tourists, particularly San Felipe, Puerto Peñasco and Guaymas Bacochibampo.

In 2003, the Sea of Cortez Region received 9.7 million tourists, of whom 70% were Mexican and 30% foreign. Domestic visitors came fundamentally from Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey, and international tourists, mainly from the United States. In the same year, the lodging supply totaled 68,472 rooms, equivalent to 13% of
the national total; of that quantity of rooms, 79% were tourist quality (three to five stars) and 55.6% rated four and five stars. Annual occupancy averaged 45% and, the average visitor stay, 2.5 nights.

The hotels in Tijuana, Mazatlán, Playas de Rosarito, Ensenada, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and La Paz—the area’s principal destinations—hosted 4.7 million visitors, 48% of all hotel guests in the five states. Of these, 70% were domestic and 30% foreign.

In synthesis, in spite of high tourism potential and the size of the territory, tourism and its benefits concentrate in only seven destinations, mostly located at the northern and southern extremes of the Region.