When U.S.-Mexico border violence makes headlines, what does that mean for tourism?
Download mp3 (10.06 MB)Two Americans are dead this week after they were kidnapped shortly after crossing the border into Matamoros, Mexico.
Two others who were traveling with them were found alive in a wooden shed outside the city after an exhaustive search by Mexican officials. It appears the group of tourists was caught in the middle of cartel violence, and they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The tragedy has taken over news headlines from the region and sparked outrage in the United States. But cartel violence and kidnappings are not uncommon in Mexico, and each time a tragic event makes news like this, it has a chilling effect on the vast cross-border tourism industry that stretches across the border.
In Arizona, Alex LaPierre is the co-founder of Borderlandia, a tour company and binational organization committed to building public understanding of the borderlands. He and his wife, who is from Sonora, started the company together to promote understanding in the region. He said he was running a tour there when he heard the news. He joined The Show to talk about it.
