LUKEVILLE, Ariz. — Puerto Peñasco, or Rocky Point, is feeling a major loss after the most popular route to "Arizona's Beach" closed with no reopening date in sight.
“Everything was closed. I mean, it was like a little ghost town," Ruben Cordova, a business owner in Rocky Point, said. “Local business, restaurants, hotels, rentals, everything has declined."
Since the Lukeville Port of Entry on the Arizona-Mexico border closed on Dec. 4, tourists are faced with taking an alternative route through San Luis or Nogales or cancel their plans.
Many people are choosing the latter option.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: 'Ciudad fantasma': Rocky Point ha pedido turismo después del cierre del puerto de entrada de Lukeville
“We just have zero to very little business going on right now because people are not choosing to drive the extra two and a half hours," Scott Poturalski, a real estate broker in Rocky Point, said.
Business in the vacation destination is usually slow in December, but Poturalski said the emptiness on the beaches and in restaurants is reminiscent of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.
"I had a Christmas party for our employees Friday night in one of the nicer restaurants in Rocky Point, and on a Friday night, we were the only group in there the entire night," Poturalski said.
Agents from the Lukeville Port of Entry were redirected to help with apprehensions along other parts of the border.
“We don’t have any idea when this is going to stop, and even though there are other routes to get here, it’s funny how just so many people think it’s going through Lukeville or nowhere at all," Poturalski said.
Some Arizonans are choosing to make the journey.
Jared Harris made the drive from Mesa to Rocky Point through the San Luis Port of Entry Tuesday morning.
“A good portion of that drive was on new roads. There was only one section that had some potholes but I found that to be very manageable and I noticed that those were being repaired this morning," Harris said.
The alternate routes are longer, but Harris said it was worth the trip.
“The sunset is beautiful and the fact that there’s not a lot of people here is also kind of nice but I don’t understand why there aren’t more people coming down," Harris said.
Business owners, including Cordova, are teaming up to help people on the drive from the border to Rocky Point.
“We really want your business. We really want you to come down and support our local economy because it’s only been a week and one day and we’re feeling it already. Imagine if this goes on further," Cordova said.
A reopening date for Lukeville Port of Entry has not yet been announced.
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