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Javier Tapia, the new Coordinator of Tourism for the State of Sonora led an entourage of politicians on Monday as they descended on Phoenix to visit with local leaders and university administrators in order to convince them that Rocky Point remains a safe and viable option for students’ Spring Break vacations. They also met with the press, hoping to avoid another Spring Break media storm like the one that hurt so many in Puerto Penasco in 2009.
Hopefully armed with all the right words for squelching concerns about border violence in the region, the group did what they could to convince the northern neighbors that Rocky Point and the State of Sonora are backing their promises of safety with resources such as increased police presence on the highway between Sonoyta and Rocky Point and officers that are better prepared to deal with tourism than stereotypes would have the public believe.
The public relations junket included interviews with both the Arizona Republic and Channel 12 (KPNX) that no doubt will be widely passed around the email circuit and You Tube in an effort to assure Rocky Point business owners that a the stops have been pulled out to ensure a successful Spring Break for 2010.
According to Andrew Johnson of the Arizona Republic, Tapia “has his job cut out for him”.
That may be, but many local business owners aren’t waiting to find out if he’s up to the task. “With Spring Break right around the corner, we can’t let this season ride on politicians. No matter the country, politicians are the least likely to know what the people want”, said one Mexican restaurant owner. “We’re going to send flyers and promotional materials to the universities”.
Several groups are currently planning promotions to collectively bring about change. A group of local hoteliers is taking a proactive approach by sending a representative to Phoenix and Tucson next week. Another group, made up of local restaurant and bar owners is organizing a motorcycle Fun Run on Cinco de Mayo (May 5, 2010). In addition, the Tourism & Visitor Assistance office is making a concerted effort to get the word out that any visitor to Rocky Point will have free, 24-hr emergency assistance in English available.
Tapia said during the trip that his office is collecting input from other leaders in the state that it will use to come up with a long-term business plan the agency can use to market the region.
“Collecting and studying input takes time”, said another business owner, “years can literally pass us by as we wait for them to figure it out”.
As for the political move by Mayor Zepeda and State Coordinator Tapia (who happens to be a major owner of the Las Palomas development), it remains to be seen what impact their visit might have on Spring Break, which is due to begin on March 12, 2010.
Tapia is quoted in Johnson’s article as saying, "We feel that it is very safe to go there". He is also quoted as saying that "economic issues in Arizona, they hurt us as much as you", leaving this reporter to question whether the AZ Republic purposely selected weak quotes for the article, thereby giving the reader the impression that nothing of great importance was discussed. Or could it possibly be that the money, time, effort and the hopes of an entire city went to all the way to Arizona just to say, “We feel it is safe”?
carjacking incidents that caused much concern in December.
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