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dongringo_catemaco

Nov 21, 2010, 3:25 AM

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Visit beautiful Tamaulipas

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About a year ago, the first touristic mega project along the lines of Cancun and Huatulco was announced for the Gulf coast along the fastest road from the border to Veracruz and southern Mexico:
Located on the coast, with Texas as its northern border, Tamaulipas will be home to ‘Megaproject Costa Lora,’ which in its first stage will be home to 6,900 hotel rooms and 11,500 condominiums and tourist villas. The federal government, through tourism arm Fonatur, has agreed to fund up to 90 percent of the $5.5 billion project.
About 100 miles south of Brownsville, Texas, in the municipality of Soto La Marina. Costa Lora will be the first beach resort of its kind near the U.S. border along the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to create about 115,000 jobs.
Mexico hopes the location appeals to foreign tourists looking for a relaxing Mexican getaway from the nearby American states of New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana. It also hopes to lure Mexican tourists from the nearby states of Nuevo León, Coahuila and San Luis Potosí.http://www.costalora.com/-English-.html

A year later, the involved government agencies are quibbling and accusing each other of delaying the project.
http://www.proyectareynosa.com/...on=16&view=10784 in Spanish

Maybe they got cold feet after reading the posts by Altahabana.
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Altahabana

Nov 21, 2010, 5:02 AM

Post #2 of 3 (7619 views)

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Re: [dongringo_catemaco] Visit beautiful Tamaulipas

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I suppose I should be flattered that you made me (indirectly it seems) the subject of a critical thread. If you choose to remain clueless about the problems in Tamaulipas it's fine with me. But being disingenuous is something else when answering a question about specific routes.

I don't know (or care) on which side of the clueless/disingenuous line you fall. Every poster is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. I try to be a responsible and respectful when I post and stay on issue. It doesn't bother me if someone disagrees with what I say or chooses not to follow my advice. I can defend my advice with objective and often graphic examples if needed.

I live in Tamaulipas and do work in the commercial transportation industry in the Frontera region and northeastern Mexico. My concerns about moving along the highways (which is what most of my posts address) don' t revolve around ex-pat defensive spinning of narco violence or pushing/defending an internet message board agenda.

If it is really necessary to respond to your critique, I suspect the developers mentioned in the story didn't need me to tune them in to the problems the narco insurgency posed to their investment. They probably live and plan in the real Tamaulipas. Defending or protecting their money is probably more important to them than defending some abstract image of Tamaulipas as a secure and tranquil corner of Mexico.

(This post was edited by Altahabana on Nov 21, 2010, 6:03 AM)

Reefhound

Nov 21, 2010, 7:02 AM

Post #3 of 3 (7589 views)

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Re: [dongringo_catemaco] Visit beautiful Tamaulipas

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Was the intent to discuss this resort or take a jab at someone? Let's assume for the moment that the cartel violence will be solved within 5 years and that tens of thousands of motorists can drive there from Texas with the only worries being able to read the road signs in Spanish. Would this resort be successful?

On the one hand, it would put a large number of Mexicans within reach of a resort. And it would allow many Americans to get there without flying. I could see luxury tour buses in Houston or San Antonio advertising long weekend getaways.

On the other hand, the water clarity doesn't compare to Cancun or even Huatulco. Cancun packages are already pretty cheap from places like Houston. Texas is big so the drive/ride from Houston would be almost ten hours. It's far enough north that it gets cold. What would it offer that South Padre Island doesn't besides the fun of using colorful money?

I think it would appeal primarily to those who don't want to fly. The more onerous TSA gets, the more people are willing to endure a few more hours on the road. Once you get on a plane, you have dozens of places within two hours. Why stop there? I think the resort would be busy in the summer and empty in the winter. It might be a nice place to go but would never reach the level of Cancun.

It might also attract a lot of ex-pats or winter Texans or people wanting to buy a vacation beach condo a bit cheaper than in SPI. "Two Hours From Texas" might be one sales pitch.