New effort to lure tourists to Juarez begins in El Paso

A new shuttle that picks visitors up on the Texas side and takes them to tourist attractions in Mexico is part an effort to lure people back across the border to Ciudad Juarez now that drug violence has declined.

“As a group we decided to come. We wanted to go down and see the new Juarez, see what’s happened,” said Debby Scott, a passenger.

She rode the shuttle with a group from Las Cruces, N.M.

“If I was alone I might be worried but I’m staying with the group so I have no concerns,” said Scott.

The shuttle takes visitors to the heart of historic Ciudad Juarez with a first stop at a traditional market.

As passengers get off the bus, they’re greeted by a tour guide dressed like a figure from Mexico’s 1910 revolution.

“I want people to know the beauty of Ciudad Juarez which is the city’s history and its people,” said Antonio Ramos known as “Don Chendo.”

The city hopes by promoting its rich culture and history visitors will forget about the recent troubled past when rival drug cartels clashed violently and Juarez earned the title of Mexico’s murder capital.

During the bloodshed tourist and other visitors stayed away. Now that murders have declined sharply, the city has begun the difficult task of trying to convince visitors it’s safe to return.

The cross border shuttle is an effort to encourage more people to venture into the city they once enjoyed including shopping for bargains.

“Arnica, it’s real good for bruises, sore muscles anything like that,” said one visitor holding up a jar after handing a vendor at the market $2. She told a companion the same jar costs $10 at a U.S. drug store.

Juarez merchants hope they can heal their bruised image by reminding tourists about the reasons they love visiting the city.

“It certainly feeds our desire of being curious about another culture and it helps them quite a bit,” said Mike Brower of Las Cruces. He and his wife were eager to return to Ciudad Juarez.

“Certainly it’s reached a point where it’s been safe to do it. And I’ve always wanted to see a little bit more of Juarez,” said Brower.

The shuttle departs Monday through Saturday from the Juarez Visitor’s Center’s small office next door to the El Paso Saddle blanket Company, a mega store that sells southwest souvenirs and other items.

Passengers pay $12 round trip and the tour includes more than a dozen historic sites in downtown Juarez. Among them the Museum of the Revolution, Cathedral, and bull ring.

The historic walking tour is led by Ramos, who greets the shuttle dressed in a revolutionary costume complete with large sombrero and a fake rifle.

After posing for a photo he tells a visitor in English, “I’m sorry. Pancho Villa only speaks Spanish.”