McALLEN, Jan. 21 – Restoring the confidence both of the citizenry of Reynosa and its international tourists is one of the highest priorities for the new mayor, Everardo Villarreal Salinas.
Villarreal began his term of office on Jan 1. He gave an interview to the Guardian at McAllen Mayor Richard Cortez’s 2011 State of the City address at the McAllen Convention Center on Thursday.
“We have had conversations with the mayors of several cities in the Rio Grande Valley,” Villarreal said. “They have outlined their concerns and we have begun to outline our strategies, because the city of Reynosa has a lot to offer. We are manufacturing 24 hours a day, there are many good dining establishments, and there are great possibilities for medical tourism in the city.”
Villarreal admitted that tourism has become almost the exclusive domain of the Rio Grande Valley during the past few years due to the climate of insecurity in the city and throughout Mexico.
“The conditions that not only Reynosa is facing, but which are occurring throughout Mexico, have left just about all of the tourism to you (referring to the Rio Grande Valley),”, declared the mayor. “But, we have been working 100 percent and as you know the situation has been improving markedly.”
Villarreal declared during the interview that a colonel has been appointed to the position of Public Security Director or Police Chief and he expects his military background and contacts to continue to help Reynosa in its path toward the restoration of order in the city.
“We know though that the path towards recovery of Reynosa begins with us who live in the city, working, and living spending, and investing in Reynosa. That is the first step towards getting tourism back,” he said.
Villarreal unveiled another facet of the economy that the city administration will be targeting, medical tourism.
“We are looking to make Reynosa a center for “Medical Tourism,” said the mayor, and towards that end is working out the details of establishing a “Distinguished Visitor” program which will feature a “passport” issued to patients of the medical centers in the city. The passport will identify the bearer as special visitors that should be extended special courtesy by police and public authorities when they enter the city. Villarreal plans to establish an office in McAllen to issue the document.
Asked specifically what he could point to as early accomplishments in his new city administration the mayor responded:
“If you have been to Reynosa recently you will notice a lot of improvements in the primary services which is improving the image of the city. People in the Valley should know that we are working hard to make Reynosa a place worthy of tourism,” Villarreal said.
Click here to watch a video interview in Spanish with Mayor Villarreal, conducted by the Guardian’s Bill Rovira.
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