Kickoff for Baja Tourist Complex : Officials Want Housing Center to Sell Visitors on Sun, Fun

On a scenic stretch of coastline with commanding views of the Pacific, officials and businessmen from both sides of the border gathered Thursday to break ground for what was described as the largest real estate development and tourism complex ever undertaken in Baja California.

The $22-million hotel and condominium complex, expected to open next fall, is aimed at attracting Americans looking for a quality resort that’s not too far from home. The site, about halfway between Tijuana and Ensenada on the ocean, is 35 miles south of the border and is accessible from the toll road that traverses Baja California.

During a brief ceremony, Baja California Norte Gov. Xicontencatl Leyva Mortera splashed down some wet cement and guided the first cinder block into place amid weather conditions--sunny, cloudless skies and soaring temperatures--that prompted broad smiles from the swarm of promoters.

Backers expressed the hope that the project, known as Vista Del Mar, or Sea View, would soon become a thriving tourism center, attracting thousands of visitors from the heavily populated San Diego-Los Angeles corridor.

“We’re very happy to have this kind of investment in our state,” said Leyva, accompanied by an entourage of assistants.

The move comes at a time when state and federal officials throughout Mexico are working hard to promote tourism as a means of bolstering the nation’s faltering economy. After oil exports, Mexico’s $2-billion-a-year tourism industry is the country’s largest source of much-needed dollars.

For some time, officials of Baja California Norte have been looking to boost the number of hotel rooms in the state. Its 5,000 or so contrast with the 12,000 in the resort of Mazatlan, said Jose Luis Rendon, tourism director for the state. However, Rendon noted that more than 700 new rooms were added statewide this year and an additional 1,300 are scheduled for completion in 1986.

“We’re trying to catch up,” he said.

Vista Del Mar is on a 39-acre swath of oceanfront adjacent to the fishing village of Puerto Nuevo, a popular destination for tourists seeking inexpensive lobster meals. The project was designed by Pedro Ramirez Vazquez, a well-known Mexican architect.

Officials voiced the hope that the development’s first phase--consisting of a 166-room, five-star hotel and 230 condominiums--would be completed by September. The second phase, including 270 condominiums, is slated for completion by the summer of 1987.

The financing for the $22-million project is 100% Mexican, officials said. Desarrollos Ley, a Mexican company based in Mexico City, will own the condominium project and 49% of the hotel, said Bill W. Bennett, general director of the firm. The majority owner and operator of the hotel will be Casteles de Mexico, which manages 11 luxury hotels in the country.

Officials said Bancomer, one of Mexico’s largest banks, has agreed to finance the project based on guarantees from Fonatur, the government tourism office.

During Thursday’s ground-breaking ceremonies, a small-scale version of the project was prominently displayed alongside an hors d’oeuvres table and an open bar, all of which was set up beneath a blue canopy on the future site of the complex.

The ground breaking follows more than a year of marketing studies in the United States, according to project promoters. The research indicated that some upper-middle-class Americans would invest in luxury condominiums along the picturesque coast of northern Baja, said Charles Curtis, San Diego-based marketing director for the project. Prices for the furnished condominiums will range from $68,000 for a one-bedroom to $118,000 for a three-bedroom, said Curtis.

The marketing studies also indicated that many Americans are hesitant to invest in a foreign nation, fearing political and legal problems and possible government confiscation. However, promoters said they would attempt to reassure potential buyers by offering favorable purchase plans and stressing the amount of support from government and private industry.

“There’s 15 million people between here and L.A.,” Curtis said. “We’re selling sun and fun.”