BAJA CALIFORNIA.- In a unanimous decision, the organizers of the Harvest Celebrations agreed to cancel the event of next year as a protest against the changes made to the Urban-touristic development and soil usage regulations in the grapevine valleys in the northern section of Baja California.

Joaquin Prieto Villavicencio, President of Pro-Vino added that in case the changes were reversed, the event would continue as it always does. The 2013 edition of the "Harvest Celebrations" counted with 50 wine houses, over 40 events and the assistance of 55 thousand people in a period of 18 days.

"These celebrations generate a very important source of revenue for the city because people come from all over the world, from the center of Mexico, from California, from Europe, this would harm, airlines, hotels, tourist service providers, restaurants, bar owners and commerce in general", Prieto Villavicencio pointed out.

This decision was taken with the purpose of creating awareness about the importance of the Valley and that the income generated by the event doesn't only benefit the wine houses. Producers and business owners seek to keep the Valley's integrity and have it's growth be paced, rather than have intense development that will harm the valley's growth.

The president of Pro-Vino added that up until now, there has been no meeting with the mayor of Ensenada, Enrique Pelayo, or with the city councilmen, or with the state governor, Francisco Vega de Lamadrid. It is expected that the meetings of the group continue to determine what actions will follow.

Brenda.Colon@sandiegored.com

Daniel.Aguilar@sandiegored.com