U.S. tourists now have an extra set of eyes watching over them when traveling south of the border.
In an effort to reassure safety-minded tourists, 16 surveillance cameras have been installed at the popular pedestrian area filled with pharmacies and dental offices in downtown Nogales, Sonora.
Merchants and city officials hope to lure back tourists who have been scared off by drug violence.
"We thought it would be a good idea, because tourists are afraid," merchant Silvia Torrecillas said.
Beginning in January, people also will be able use the Internet to check out images from the plaza, said Jorge Valenzuela, director of the tourism office in Nogales.
"If someone is thinking of committing a crime, they'd better not, because it is going to be recorded," he said.
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Last year the government of Nogales began installing 300 surveillance cameras around the city, including in neighborhoods, parks and schools.
The plan for the historic downtown area - which is being renovated - was to include surveillance cameras in the future. That renovation project is expected to cost about $124,000.
But the Plaza Pesqueira merchants didn't want to wait for that work to be completed, noting that an average of 500 tourists a day visited Nogales two years ago, and now that number is only about 200 per day.
"We are facing a critical situation," Valenzuela said.
Business owners estimate that sales have dropped by about 75 percent since fall of 2008.
City and local business owners split the cost of the new surveillance system, an expense of about $4,000, said Torrecillas, who owns J & E Pharmacy.
The surveillance system was recently unveiled by José Ángel Hernández Barajas, Nogales' mayor, and John Dinkelman, the U.S. consul in Nogales, Sonora.
For now, the security cameras are monitored by officials from the tourism office, but in January they'll be connected to the city police, who already monitor cameras placed in other areas such as parks and neighborhoods.
Luis Alatorre, president of the Plaza Pesqueira merchants committee, said the 16 cameras are part of a pilot program that eventually will be expanded.
Other efforts
The city of Nogales, Sonora, also has increased the number of police officers assigned to the tourist area. About 50 officers are now working per shift, said Valenzuela, the tourism director. That's in addition to 22 cops on bicycle patrol in the area.
A new tourism office opened in September in the Pasaje Morelos, another block filled with curio shops and bars. Alatorre said merchants hope to build a kiosk, a fountain and umbrella-shaded tables.
"We can't say that there's no violence. There is, just like in every city," Valenzuela said. "Here in downtown, those things don't happen. In the city suburbs, in some areas, yes. So far, we haven't had a single incident reported by a tourist."
Alfonso Martínez, a barbershop employee at Plaza Pesqueira, is glad to see the cameras in place.
"So there's more safety at the line," he said.
Mónica Orozco, another pharmacy employee, said the misconception among some tourists is frustrating.
"They believe everything they hear. We don't want them to have that idea," she said. "Business is still slow, but people who know Nogales and have been here, they know things are OK."
Contact reporter Mariana Alvarado at 573-4597 or malvarado@azstarnet.com
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