Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-07-29
Tampico Told Tourist Value

Down in Tampico, Mexico, the people nave
awakened to the value Of tourist travel and the Tam
pico Tribune, strong English language weekly news
paper, in a first page editorial demands that a high
way be built from Matamoros to that city.
The editor of that paper has gathered together
some statistics on tourists and how much they mean
to a country that it is worth re~printing for the edi-
fication Of some Valley citizens who have not awaken
ed to the fact that the most valuable crop of this Sec
ton is being neglected.
Here is what he says:
1.-THE figures are SO large that the Tampiquenian
even with his boom time experience can not grasp
them but here are some Of the figures, a study of
which will be an inspiration for hope and cause an
uplifting Of the spirit.
During the year ending May l $4,000 American
and Canadian tourists visited the Bermuda islands
and spent more than SO, 900, 900. Ninety per cent Of
Bermudas annual income rests with tourists.
In the same period Bermuda imported three mil
lion dollars worth of American goods, largely pro-
visions with which to feed the tourists.
American tourists who visit Canada spend SO
much money there that the tourist trade is consid-
cred the third largest industry Of that great dominion.
California is famed for its gold mines and Colo
RADIO is known the world over for its gold and silver
and other minerals. Yet the money left in these states
every year by the tourist is far in excess of the wealth
gained from the mines.
"Los Angeles, California. was built by tourists. It's
OIdL1Sco, grape 4IulC, grapes, pSlAOII OAAAAoNO "a
known and respected as wealth producing resources
but take away the tourists and Los Angeles would be
worse bent than was Tampico when the boom busted.
There is a hotel built on the desert at Phoenix,
Ariz, amid cactus and sage bushes, a waterless Eek
cept for i~rrigation) ~sunbaked, raInless spot where the
thermometer mounts to 18 degrees in the shade in
summer time and where days and even weeks pass
without the heat dropping under 10 degrees.
"The cheapest room in this hotel is SIS a day and
The hotel is crowded during the winter months. In
the short season Of three months this expensive hotel
profits enough to maintain it during the year and
leave a small fortune each year in the cash box for
the hotel owner.
"Towns of little over a thousand inhabitants In
Florida have million dollar hotels in which reserva-
tions must be made long ahead. Every person in
these towns gets his living from the tourists.
"Forty-five million people represents three times
the population Of Mexico. This is the number of
American tourists travelling the highways, this year
seeking new places Of interest to visit.
"They have seen the Yellowstone Park, the Grand
Canyon OF the Colorado, Washington monument and
the birthplace of Calvin Coolidge. They have over
run California, Florida, Texas, every state in the
union and every city.
This mighty caravan Is on the move. They left
$35,000,000 in Canada while passing through. They
will leave many million more dollars in Texas, our
next door neighbor.
"They would leave other millions in Tampico il
they could get here; if we had a road to the border.
Three and one-half billion dollars is easy to saw
But this amount of money would pay the European
war debts owing the United States and which has
caused SO much controversy, and leave a billion dol
lars change. q
This is what the tourists in the United States will
spend this year according to the survey Of the Amer
lean Automobile Association.
This is what a road from the border to Tampjco
means for this city"