Los Algodones plans improvements to boost tourism

LOS ALGODONES, Baja Calif - Standing in line to return to the United States should be less of a burden for winter visitors and others who visit this border community, say tourism officials.

The town's tourism and convention committee is extending shaded pedestrian walkways leading back to the United States, and has plans to start up what they call an "ambulance cart service" to attend to any medical emergencies among elderly and others who have prolonged waits to cross the border.

"In the past few years, the number of visitors has dropped due to different factors, but we don't have the luxury of (alienating) visitors for lack of services," said Francisco Navarette, the tourism committee's president in Yuma.

Long pedestrian lines to return to the United States periodically form at the border in the winter months when Yuma's winter visitors travel to the Mexican border city by the thousands each month for shopping or to visit the town's pharmacies and medical and dental offices.

The ambulance car, similar to a golf cart, will be equipped with first aid supplies to attend to elderly visitors who experience conditions related to extended waits in line, said Navarette said.

"We know Algodones tourism is health-related tourism, made up mostly by seniors who come for medical appointments, to see dentists or to get medicine," Navarette said. "For them it's twice as hard to remain standing for a long time, and many cannot take it."

He said the cart service should be available starting in November when the winter visitor season starts up and continue through March. Donations from medical and dentist offices and pharmacies will help fund it.

A shade structure over the pedestrian lane leading across the border will also be extended by 450 feet to provide shade for more people, he said.

As was done in the first phase of the shade structure, benches will be added along the lane where people can sit while waiting for lines to move.

The city also is seeking funding for a parking lot and outdoor theater at the site in Algodones of the old Alamo Canal, which currently contains water percolated from the nearby All American Canal.

Plans are to fill in the Alamo Canal with cement to create the parking area and theater ,where events of interest to visitors would be staged, he said.

"That will give us parking spaces which are scarce in town," he said. "The objective is for tourists to be able to leave their vehicles there, a few steps from the border, and to have a theater where events to welcome tourism and other community functions will be conducted,” he said.