Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco — Puerto Vallarta’s ongoing tourism boom has served as a powerful economic engine, with new hotels, real estate developments, restaurants, and high-end services springing up along the coast. While these investments have generated jobs and bolstered local businesses, experts say the city’s rapid growth is also widening social and economic inequalities—particularly between the luxury beachfront developments and the impoverished neighborhoods on the city’s fringes.