Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Visitors from Mexico see Socorro-area sites

Argen Duncan El Defensor Chieftain Reporter

Mexico meets Socorro.

The City of Socorro hosted six members of the Chihuahua, Mexico, media last week as part of a fan tour the state Department of Tourism organized to promote the Truth or Consequences area. The visitors represented newspapers, magazines, Web sites and cable news, and were accompanied by two escorts.

Raquel Limas of Enfiestate!com, a popular Web site that covers social clubs in El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico, said Socorro was a beautiful place.

"It's nice to visit a historic city that's so enchanting," she said through an interpreter. "The people are really friendly and hospitable."

Limas said Socorro had excellent choices in food.

Photographer Marco Tapia of El Diario newspaper, which has the largest circulation in Chihuahua and also serves El Paso, called Socorro an awesome place. Speaking through an interpreter, he said the people in Socorro had given the group a huge response and incredible attention.

City of Socorro Tourism Director Deborah Dean was pleased with the visit.

"I just think that any time we get any visitors from outside Socorro who show an interest in what we're doing here, it's a positive thing," she said.

Also, Dean said the area tourism council is working together well to show what Socorro has to offer. She believes the fan tour is long overdue for small communities.

Diego Arreola, who is the Mexico Tour Trade manager for the state Department of Tourism, served as an escort and interpreter. He said Sierra County and Truth or Consequences representatives decided they needed to promote the area more in the Chihuahua-Juarez market. They contacted Arreola.

A tourism department contractor in Chihuahua invited the media in that area on a fan tour. The trip included visits to Elephant Butte, Truth or Consequences and Caballo Lake, Hillsboro, Kingston and Fluoride.

In the Socorro area, the itinerary included the Very Large Array, New Mexico Tech, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and El Camino Real International Heritage Center. Arreola said the group chatted with Tech Public Information Specialist Thomas Guengerich and Mayor Ravi Bhasker, as well as playing a few rounds at the Tech Golf Course, and visiting the Mineral Museum and the Frank T. Etscorn Campus Observatory.

The tourism department often does such tours to promote New Mexico, Arreola said.

aduncan@dchieftain.com

E-mail this story Printer-friendly version