Master planned beach resorts — like Cancun, Los Cabos, Huatulco, and Ixtapa — have successfully lured foreign tourists to Mexico for years. In hopes of recreating that success, Mexico will now bring this concept to the northeast part of the country by 2012.
Costa Lora Beach Resort Plans
The Costa Lora development will be about 100 miles south of Brownsville, Texas, in the municipality of Soto La Marina in the state of Tamaulipas. Costa Lora will be the first beach resort of its kind near the U.S. border along the Gulf of Mexico.
The Costa Lora beach resort should eventually have about 20,000 hotel rooms for visitors, according to Fonatur, a National Trust for Tourism Development in Mexico. It's also expected to create about 115,000 jobs.
Mexico hopes the location appeals to foreign tourists looking for a relaxing Mexican getaway from the nearby American states of New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana. It also hopes to lure Mexican tourists from the nearby states of Nuevo León, Coahuila and San Luis Potosí.
Mexico's Tourism Secretariat announced that about $4 billion in private investment is expected to go into the 20 square-mile area. According to Mexican press reports, future plans also include the construction of an airport, a hotel management school, and a total makeover of the town which would include adding authentic Mexican characteristics and architecture native to the state of Tamaulipas.
Environmental Impacts of Costa Lora
The new mega-resort of Costa Lora takes its name from the Tortuga Lora, or Atlantic Ridley turtle, also known as Kemp's Ridley turtle. The endangered turtle—the smallest of the sea turtle family—has been protected in Mexico since 1966. The Atlantic Ridley turtle is known for its heart-shaped shell that ranges from an olive color to gray-brown and black.
The Atlantic Ridley turtle has nesting grounds on the Mexican coast near a stretch of beach in Rancho Nuevo, Tamaulipas. The nesting beach in Mexico has been protected by armed guards since 1966, according to New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation.
Trade of Atlantic Ridley sea turtle meat, eggs, and other products are illegal.
With the announcement of Costa Lora's construction, the Mexican government also vowed to help preserve the habitat for the Atlantic Ridley sea turtle by promoting the protection of their nesting grounds, sea turtle refuges, and nutrition. Protecting the ecosystem, according to the Mexican government, was a top priority in the plans for the Costa Lora beach resort.
The Costa Lora development is also looking at protecting the 450 different bird species that can be found in the region.
Nancy Flores - My freelance work, which ranges from writing articles, producing and editing online video and shooting photos, focuses on Mexican travel, ...
