Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Sept. 18, 2026 — Jalisco Gov. Pablo Lemus set November 2028 as the target for opening Puerto Vallarta’s planned cruise home port. Construction is expected to begin in 2027.
A federal competition notice confirms that port authorities are seeking an operator to build, equip and manage the terminal. The project would serve all three cruise berths.
The competition is not a contract award. The notice says the process may be declared void, canceled or suspended. Our review found no construction budget in the published call.
Effects for residents and local businesses
Puerto Vallarta currently operates as a port of call. Passengers disembark for several hours before their ships continue to another destination.
A home port would process passengers beginning or ending cruises in the city. That requires check-in, baggage handling, customs, immigration and transportation between the port, hotels and Puerto Vallarta International Airport.
The port complex is on Boulevard Francisco Medina Ascencio at kilometer 4.5 in Zona Hotelera Norte. The same corridor connects the cruise terminal with Marina Vallarta and the airport.
The port’s 2026-2031 development plan projects more commercial flights, road arrivals, hotel stays and public transportation use. It also anticipates jobs in baggage handling, reception and cargo operations.
Those are government projections, not measured results. The public competition notice does not identify committed cruise lines, expected passenger numbers or confirmed routes. It also provides no construction-related street closure or traffic plan.
Lemus said passengers could stay in local hotels before embarking or after returning. He also projected additional business for food, beverage, and maritime suppliers serving cruise ships.
Terminal would cover more than 95,000 square meters
The competition covers 95,172.11 square meters within the federal port area. That includes 38,445.22 square meters of land and 56,726.89 square meters of water.
The selected operator would provide docking and passenger services at the port’s three cruise berths. The contract also covers tourism services and commercial and entertainment spaces inside the terminal.
Casinos, betting businesses and nightclubs would not be permitted under the published conditions.
The winning participant would receive a 17-year partial assignment of port rights. The agreement could be extended for another 17 years if federal requirements are met.
Participants must show at least 200 million pesos in equity or subscribed capital at the end of 2025. The competition was open to qualified Mexican and foreign individuals or companies with port-terminal experience.
Competition documents cost 950,000 pesos plus value-added tax. The deadline to purchase them was Sept. 11, according to the notice dated Sept. 4.
Governor says capacity would double
Lemus said the terminal would include customs, immigration and baggage-processing areas.
“This will double the operating capacity of Puerto Vallarta’s dock,” Lemus said in Spanish during remarks released this week.
The public notice describes operations across the three existing cruise berths. It does not explain the calculation behind the governor’s capacity estimate.
Lemus used a Puerto Vallarta-Los Cabos-Los Angeles itinerary as an example of a possible route. He did not announce an agreement with a cruise company for that itinerary.
November 2028 remains a government target
The federal government authorized Puerto Vallarta’s new port development program on July 10. That plan identifies the home port as one of its principal projects.
The November 2028 opening date comes from Lemus rather than the public competition notice. The official notice does not establish a construction start date or mandatory opening deadline.
Puerto Vallarta’s existing cruise operations will continue during the competition process. The port authority’s September arrival calendar, updated Aug. 31, continues to list conventional cruise calls and states that schedules are subject to change.
