ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - About a million more trips were made to New Mexico in 2016 than the previous year, breaking another tourism record for the state, Gov. Susana Martinez announced Wednesday.
Speaking to tourism officials in Albuquerque, the Republican governor said 34.4 million trips were taken in New Mexico last year and that surpassed the previous record set in 2015.
In fact, Martinez said, tourism figures have shown a steady increase since she took office in 2011 and her administration launched the New Mexico True campaign to draw out-of-state visitors.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” Martinez told the audience. “For the 5th consecutive year, New Mexico has experienced record-breaking tourism.”
The numbers are based on survey data from New Mexico visitors collected by research firm Longwoods International.
The latest figures came as Albuquerque - the state’s largest city - has been plagued by property crime and New Mexico continues to struggle with a high unemployment rate.
Automotive thefts, for example, have jumped in recent years, according to data from the FBI and Albuquerque police. Last month, a thief drove off with a truck from the television news crew of the NBC affiliate KOB-TV while the crew was working on a story about crime in downtown Albuquerque.
Tourism Secretary Rebecca Latham said state officials haven’t seen any evidence that concerns about crime are discouraging visitors from coming to the state. She said the survey showed the New Mexico True campaign was responsible for 55 percent of overnight visitors in 2016.
New Mexico True advertisements have been spotted in airports around the country. Commercials include local celebrities.
Tourist attractions promoted by state officials include New Mexico’s many national monuments.
Desert ranchers in New Mexico are hoping the Trump administration will dramatically shrink a recently designated national monument in the south of the state where outlaw Billy the Kid and Apache leader Geronimo once sought refuge.
The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument is among 27 monuments where a review ordered by President Donald Trump might remove protections previously considered irreversible.
Martinez said the state will promote the sites whether they are national monuments or not.
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