Grupo Vidanta is a resort developer in Mexico, specializing in the construction of new tourist destinations, hotel operations, urban infrastructure and real estate. It also owns and operates the Mar de Cortés International Airport

Mar de Cortés International Airport

The Mar de Cortés International Airport is the first fully privately funded airport in Mexico. It was built by Grupo Vidanta and is located in La Jolla de Cortés, near Puerto Peñasco in the state of Sonora. The airport’s concrete runway is the fourth runway in Mexico to be built entirely with...

 and the Grupo Vidanta Foundation. Grupo Vidanta is headquartered in Guadalajara

Guadalajara

Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...

, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 and currently manages 20 resort brands in Mexico with over 10,000 employees.

Founding

Daniel Chavez Moran founded Grupo Vidanta in 1974. Mr. Moran stepped away from Grupo Vidanta to found Grupo Vidanta Foundation (originally named Fundación Grupo Mayan) and focus on philanthropy and is also the founder of Fundación Delia Moran A.C. In 2009 he was ranked 64th in the list of most important Mexican businessmen.

Grupo Vidanta Foundation

In 2004, Grupo Vidanta founded Grupo Vidanta Foundation. The Grupo Vidanta Foundation has a stated goal to "promote culture and science". In 2005, it held a conference in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...

 Argentina to discuss the development gap between the United States of America and Latin America. Speakers in the event included Ernesto Zedillo

Ernesto Zedillo

Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León is a Mexican economist and politician. He served as President of Mexico from December 1, 1994 to November 30, 2000, as the last of the uninterrupted seventy year line of Mexican presidents from the Institutional Revolutionary Party...

, Hernando de Soto

Hernando de Soto (economist)

Hernando de Soto is a Peruvian economist known for his work on the informal economy and on the importance of business and property rights. He is the president of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy , located in Lima, Peru.-Childhood and education:Hernando de Soto was born in 1941 in Arequipa,...

, Francis Fukuyama

Francis Fukuyama

Yoshihiro Francis Fukuyama is an American political scientist, political economist, and author. He is a Senior Fellow at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at Stanford. Before that he served as a professor and director of the International Development program at the School of...

, Enrique Krauze

Enrique Krauze

Enrique Krauze Kleinbort is a Mexican historian, essayist and publisher. He is president of the publisher Editorial Clío and director of the cultural magazine ....

, and Celso Lafer

Celso Lafer

Celso Lafer, born August 7, 1941 is a Brazilian jurist, full professor of Philosophy of Law at University of São Paulo, twice former foreign minister and a former commerce minister.-Education:...

. A book by Francis Fukuyama was published in 2007 as a result of an investigation on this topic and Grupo Vidanta Foundation.

In 2007, Grupo Vidanta Foundation held a conference in Mexico City to promote culture and science. Notable speakers included Mario Vargas Llosa

Mario Vargas Llosa

Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquis of Vargas Llosa is a Peruvian-Spanish writer, politician, journalist, essayist, and Nobel Prize laureate. Vargas Llosa is one of Latin America's most significant novelists and essayists, and one of the leading authors of his generation...

, and Ricardo Lagos

Ricardo Lagos

Ricardo Froilán Lagos Escobar is a lawyer, economist and social democrat politician, who served as president of Chile from 2000 to 2006. He won the 1999-2000 presidential election by a narrow margin in a runoff over Independent Democrat Union candidate Joaquín Lavín...

.

Grupo Vidanta Foundation organizes an annual competition between organizations that contribute in the fight against poverty and inequality. The prize is a joint initiative by the Organization of American States

Organization of American States

The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...

 (OAS), the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) and the Grupo Vidanta Foundation. Its stated aim is "to provide recognition and support for outstanding projects carried out in Latin America and the Caribbean; to reduce poverty and inequality; and fight discrimination".

The annual award competition consists of a first place prize of $100,000.00 (one hundred thousand USD), a second place prize of $75,000.00 (seventy five thousand USD), and a third prize of $50,000.00 (fifty thousand USD). The prize was awarded for the first time on October 14, 2010 in Mexico City in an event organized by the founder, Mr. Moran.

Mar de Cortes International Airport

The Mar de Cortés International Airport

Mar de Cortés International Airport

The Mar de Cortés International Airport is the first fully privately funded airport in Mexico. It was built by Grupo Vidanta and is located in La Jolla de Cortés, near Puerto Peñasco in the state of Sonora. The airport’s concrete runway is the fourth runway in Mexico to be built entirely with...

 was inaugurated by Mexican President Felipe Calderón

Felipe Calderón

Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is the current President of Mexico. He assumed office on December 1, 2006, and was elected for a single six-year term through 2012...

 and by Grupo Vidanta in November 5, 2009, It is located in La Jolla de Cortés, near Puerto Peñasco

Puerto Peñasco

Puerto Peñasco is a city and municipality located in the northwest of the state of Sonora about 100 km from the Arizona border. It is located on the small strip of land that joins the peninsula of Baja California with the rest of Mexico. The area is part of the Altar Desert, one of the driest...

 in the state of Sonora

Sonora

Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....

, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. The airport's concrete runway is the fourth runway in Mexico to be built entirely with concrete provided by Cemex

Cemex

CEMEX is the world's largest building materials supplier and third largest cement producer. Founded in Mexico in 1906, the company is based in Monterrey, Mexico...

. In addition, the airport was awarded a Premio Obras Cemex in 2007.

Hotel Brands

• Mansions of The World
• Grand Luxxe,
• The Grand Bliss,
• The Grand Mayan,
• Mayan Palace,
• Sea Garden,
• Ocean Breeze Hotels

Golf Courses

• Vidanta Golf

Grupo Vidanta´s Mayan Palace was host to the Uniting Nations Cup in May 2011,