• BORDER: The share of Mexico’s tourism GDP originating in it’s border with the US accounts for 14.8%, according to a new academic study. However, the number is considered low, given the touristic potential of the border if localities were able to address issues like public safety.
• REGION: According to new data, tourism GDP from Mexican towns and areas along the border from Baja California to Tamaulipas totaled USD 11.8 billion. Researchers estimate that close to 80% of tourists spending at least one night in border localities were Mexican residents.
• ASSESSMENT: “Undoubtedly, (Mexico’s) Northern border and the states that comprise it do have a tourist streak that is often barely recognized”, said Francisco Madrid, head of the tourism research center (CICOTUR) at Anáhuac University in Mexico City.
• OPPORTUNITY: Other than improving public security to attract more tourists from Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and California, the study recommends finishing key projects like new airports near the port of Ensenada in Baja California and the mountain town of Creel in Chihuahua.
