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La Escalera Nautica
(Nautical Ladder)

La Escalera Nautica, a 1.9 billion dollar project, is Mexico 's recent attempt to develop tourism in Baja California , Mexico .
It involves building a “ladder” or nautical route, of marinas and tourist sites along the coast of the peninsula, as well as the west coast of the mainland.
Construction of new marinas and roads has been underway for some time now.
In addition to the marinas, the Federal Tourism Promotion Fund (FONATUR) is planning a 70 mile “land bridge” from Santa Rosalia (on the Pacific side) to Bahia de los Angeles (on the Sea of Cortez side) to facilitate the transportation and delivery of yachts up to 55 feet in length into the calm waters of Baja's eastern side.



























Existing ports to be used for the project include:

  • Ensenada
  • Cabo San Lucas
  • La Paz
  • Guaymas
  • Mazatlan

 

Ports that will be expanded include:

  • San Carlos
  • Loreto
  • Mulege
  • Santa Rosalia
  • San Felipe
  • Puerto Peñasco
  • Topolobampo

 

Ports to be built from scratch include on the Baja Peninsula :

  • Cabo Colonet
  • Puerto Canoa
  • Santa Rosalillita
  • Bahia de Tortuga
  • Punta Abreojos
  • San Juanico
  • Bahia de los Angeles
  • Bahia San Luis Gonzaga

And on the mainland:

  • Bahia Kino in Sonora
  • Altata in Sinaloa


Mexico 's President Vicente Fox considers the tourist industry a “passport towards the future ” and says the Escalera Nautica represents a crucial and strategic megaproject for the development of the country that will make possible decades of tourist development for the northwest region of Mexico .

After the success of FONATUR in the development of tourist resorts like Cancún, Istapa, and Huatulco, and after almost nineteen years without any new major tourist destinations being developed, the Mexican federal government, together with the governments of Baja California Norte, Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, and Sonora, and other public and private parties, defined the megaprojects of the Escalera Nautica and the Mayan Riveira as being Mexico's current focus of tourist development for the next six years.

The Escalera Nautica megaproject was formalized Feb. 21, 2001 in La Paz , B.C.S., signed by President Vicente Fox; the Secretary of Tourism, Leticia Navarro; the Director of FONATUR, John McCarthy; and the governors of Sonora , Baja California , Baja California Sur, and Sinaloa.

The state governors, along with President Fox, are convinced that the projects will economically invigorate the Pacific Northwest zone of Mexico and that the Sea of Cortez will emerge as a world-class tourist destination.

The result of the venture will certainly be a marked increase in land speculation in Baja, designed to attract wealthy American retirees and sportsmen with ready marinas, golf courses, and hotel chains. The Mexican government believes

the project will stimulate the economy to provide more jobs for the people of Baja and the west coast mainland.