Texas' Rio Grande Valley loves its Winter Texans. When the warm weather beckons the Mid-Westerners, they come with their RVs, their pets, and of course, a little spending money. But history hasn't been entirely kind to the Rio Grande.
When the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center sent a shiver into the bones of nearly every American, the Winter Texans were among them. Visitation rates dropped like a rock, and it wasn't until the 2010-2011 season that the number of seasonal visitors ever hit the same levels as before that fateful year of 2001.
The question now is: Will the violence spurred by Mexican drug cartels frighten off the Winter Texans? RV resort owners and others dependent on tourism are counting that the snowbirds will come as always. So far, they seem to be right. Lon Huff, who manages the Sunshine RV Resort in Harlingen recently told the Brownsville Herald that the numbers are looking good. Last year the park filled almost 90% of its 1,000+ RV slots. "We're definitely ahead of last year," says Huff.
Still, Melissa Cortez over at the Country Sunshine RV Resort in Weslaco isn't so sure. "My numbers are a bit down this season," says Cortez. "The publicity we're getting because of the Mexico issue has really hit us hard." Her reservations are down around 30% from last year.
Discussions we've had with RVers seem to indicate that the "Mexico scare" just isn't having a large an impact as some would have us believe. One traveler told us she's planning a trip into Mexico itself--alone--and is more concerned about how long it will take her to get back into the states when coming home time arrives.
Come season's end, the numbers will show how folks have been affected.
photo: Roadside stand on US Highway 281 north of Edinburg, taxibill on flickr.com
