Mexican tourism officials in San Diego today announced the start of a c38aign intended to draw tourists back across the border, despite the ongoing drug-related violence.
At a news conference at the Mexican Consulate of San Diego, officials from the Tijuana Convention & Visitors Bureau displayed their "120 Things To Do in Tijuana" c38aign to coincide with the city's 120th anniversary.
Activities on the list range from getting your picture taken with the donkey disguised as a zebra on Avenida Revolucion and watching a Mexican Lucha Libre wrestling match to visiting one of the city's art galleries or eating at its many restaurants.
The list, along with testimonials from recent Tijuana visitors and an events calendar, can be found online at www.120ThingsToDoInTijuana.org.
The c38aign, which will run until Tijuana's 120th anniversary on July 11th, comes as Mexican officials work to counter television images of running gun battles between police and drug cartels.
Infighting between the drug cartels along the U.S./Mexico border, coupled with the Mexican government's efforts to counter the narcotics trade, has led to a spike in violence in Northern Baja.
The were 843 killings in Tijuana in 2008, compared to 337 the year before.
Despite the grim statistics and warnings from U.S. officials to stay away, officials from Tijuana and neighboring Rosarito Beach maintain that the region is safe and the violence has not been targeted at tourists.
