Nuevo Progreso tourism: Vendors hopeful

March 27, 2011 1:00 AM
By ILDEFONSO ORTIZ
The Monitor

NUEVO PROGRESO — Local merchants describe their city as an island of calmness miles and miles away from violence.

As the small town with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants prepares for the end of the Winter Texan season, its merchants look back at their numbers and feel optimistic about the future.

Earlier this week, the city held its 35th annual Tourist Day, during which the main street was closed to make room for a main stage and for the 7,000 pedestrians and 2,000 vehicles that crossed into Mexico for the festivities.

“The town of Nuevo Progreso is like an island; violent incidents can take place in Reynosa or Matamoros, but not here,” said Dr. Maribel Martinez a local dentist and delegate of the Chamber of Commerce — CANACO. “Our Winter Texans know that. They know that they can come take care of their medical and shopping needs and in a safe area that has some of the best prices around.”

Nuevo Progreso has one road heading south, which connects it to Rio Bravo; that road has a permanent military checkpoint that monitors traffic into the city, Martinez said. On the north side is the bridge with the U.S. side, and there is a military checkpoint there as well, she added.

According to Martinez, the city has seen just one firefight, which took place on Dec. 5, 2009, and the city has been peaceful since. Sadly enough, that incident, combined with the bad reputation Mexico has received, ended up hurting the tourism industry, she said. According to CANACO figures, in January 2009 the city saw more than 135,000 tourists, one year later that figure dropped to 102,000. In 2011, the city also saw a decrease but not as pointed with approximately 92,000 tourists visiting during the month of January.

“It’s a lesser decrease, but from speaking with our tourists they tell us that it’s not the violence but the milder winter that shortened their stay.”

At the Red Snapper, businessman and lifetime resident Chuy Bautista greets the tourists personally — many of whom have been his customers and friends for years.

“My business is here for them,” Bautista said. “My friends come knowing that they will have quality services and food in a safe environment. Our city thrives on tourism, so we are devoted to making their experience here an enjoyable one.”

Other parts of Tamaulipas haven’t been as lucky with Rio Bravo, San Fernando and Valle Hermoso regularly being the scene of firefights. While the violence did cause some apprehension for Larry and Carol Hudson, in the end they couldn’t resist the assurance of their friends Don and Annie Glaser, their hometown friends who spend their winters in Mission.

As the group enjoyed some drinks and a shoeshine at the Red Bra Restaurant, they said they felt safe and spent their afternoon there joking about how their children used to go to Mexico for spring break and now it was their turn to have a good time in Mexico.

Just downstairs at the Red Panty Bar, shift manager Nancy Barbosa said business was booming. She and her crew ran from one side of the bar to the other serving cold Mexican beer and the bar’s specialty margarita on the rocks.

“We’ve been very busy,” Barbosa said. “We sell about 100 margaritas a day.”

Standing by the bar, Jim Brown enjoyed a large michelada as he waited for his wife who was browsing the local shops.

“I paid $3.50 for this big thing,” he said. “Back home, I would have paid $10 or more for it.”

When asked about if the violence in Mexico caused them to hesitate about visiting Nuevo Progreso, Brown said that they know the city is safe compared to other places and that he considers it a lot safer than many American cities.