From March 18-22, Monterrey, Mexico, will host world leaders participating in the United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development. Monterrey, an ideal city for meetings and conventions, is a key industrial center 145 miles south of Texas. Pictured is the Gran Plaza, spanning over 100 acres and lined with modern buildings, monuments, trees and fountains. The 250-foot orange tower commemorates the 100th anniversary of the city's Chamber of Commerce and shines a laser beam over the city's skyline.

March 15, 2002 - Monterrey to Host UN International Conference on Financing for Development - Northern City Showcases Mexico's Industrial Strength and World Class Meeting Facilities

All eyes will be on Monterrey as more than 50 heads of state participate in the United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development held in Mexico's northern industrial city from March 18-22. Among those attending will be the host country's president, Vicente Fox, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, and U.S. President George W. Bush.

More than 180 nations, including delegates from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization, will participate. Trade liberalization, external debt, development assistance and private investment are among key issues to be addressed.

"We are proud to have been selected to host this monumental conference and look forward to showing our distinguished guests all that Monterrey and the State of Nuevo Leon have to offer," said Omar Mohamed Tamez, Undersecretary of Tourism for the State of Nuevo Leon, of which Monterrey is the capital. "Monterrey, known as the city of mountains, is an ideal destination for meetings and conventions."

Indicative of the state's continued growth, Nuevo Leon's modern tourism, communications and transportation infrastructure have been greatly enhanced in the past five years through private investments totaling more than $200 million dollars in new hotel construction.

Among Monterrey's many notable facilities is the Cintermex Exhibition Center, where the UN Conference on Financing for Development will be held. This world-class international business center provides permanent offices for more than 150 corporations and organizations. Cintermex's 698,750 square feet of exhibition and meeting space includes a convention center and an exposition center, and regularly hosts more than 17 sectors of commerce and industry.

Despite the worldwide downturn in travel since September 11, Monterrey kept an almost 56 percent hotel occupancy rate in 2001, making it the highest of Mexico's major cities.

Monterrey City Plan

Monterrey is a highly competitive destination, offering world-class facilities and excellent value. In fact, surveys conducted by the hotel industry and Mexico's Ministry of Tourism showed that visitors to Monterrey expressed a 95 percent satisfaction rate with the services and facilities, and in 1999, Fortune magazine selected Monterrey as the best city in Latin America to do business.

In addition to its strategic location between the U.S. border and central Mexico, Monterrey has an international commercial airport with more than 260 national and international flights per day; an airfield for private and corporate aircraft; more than 8,000 hotel rooms and 450 restaurants; modern shopping and commercial areas; three theme parks; night life and cultural attractions, as well as ecotourism and adventure travel activities in and near the city.

Monterrey offers its visitors several attractions, including numerous museums such as the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, an $11 million facility housing contemporary Mexican and Latin American collections. On weekends and evenings, travelers can go to the Barrio Antiguo, with its grand colonial homes and annual Cultural Festival, for outdoor music and theatre. The nearby Zona Rosa houses many of Monterrey's upscale restaurants, luxury boutiques and fine hotels. At the Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc, visitors can tour this 19th century brewery -- makers of Tecate, Carta Blanca and Bohemia beers.

Adventure travelers and ecotourists can explore the nearby mountains, pine forests, waterfalls, caves and lakes, all within 30 miles from Monterrey and easily accessible by car.

"Most of all, Nuevo Leon offers a strong business ethic, hard-working and hospitable people, and an environment conducive to getting things done," Mohamed said.

Recent events in Monterrey include the Tecate-Telmex CART Grand Prix racecar series held March 8-10 at the Parque Fundidora (Foundry Park), a steel foundry converted to an ecological park in the center of the city. A major upcoming event is the "Mountains of Monterrey Challenge 2002," Mexico's most important extreme sports competition, to be held from May 22-25