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The U.S. is seeing a decline in international tourists this year - about 9%. The number of Canadian visitors has plummeted. But after an initial drop, there's an uptick in travelers from Mexico, despite higher costs and new requirements for tourist visas. Angela Kocherga with member station KTEP has this report.
ANGELA KOCHERGA, BYLINE: The area around the U.S. consulate in Juarez is bustling with activity. There are medical clinics, hotels and restaurants and agencies helping people prepare their visa applications. The Juarez consulate issues the most U.S. visas in the world, from work permits to family and tourist visas, all for people who want to enter the U.S. legally.
CAROLINA: (Speaking Spanish).
KOCHERGA: Carolina did not want us to use her full name. She's afraid speaking to the media could affect approval of her tourist visa. She wants to visit her sister in Indiana. Since President Trump took office this year, all applicants, even those renewing their visitor visa, have to show up for an in-person interview. And in October, the cost increased from $185 to $435 because of a new visa integrity fee. On top of that, the entry form tracking arrivals went from $6 to 30. Plus, authorities are checking visa applicants' social media feeds to see if they're critical of Trump administration policies.
TONY PAYAN: Now they want to see your social media, and they want to make sure that you don't have anything that you've reposted or that you posted.
KOCHERGA: Tony Payan researches U.S.-Mexico relations at Rice University's Baker Institute. He says the new requirements are part of an effort to limit all kinds of visas, ranging from students to skilled workers.
PAYAN: I think the basic message is that you're not welcome in the United States. Even tourists who often come and spend money in the country are not welcome.
KOCHERGA: But visitors from Mexico keep traveling here. According to data from the National Travel and Tourism Office, through August about 3 million visitors arrived by air from Mexico. That's up slightly over the same period last year. The number of people driving through ports of entry grew by 13% this year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Every fall, Raul Vargas' tour company brings busloads of fans from Monterrey, Mexico, to Dallas Cowboys games.
RAUL VARGAS: (Speaking Spanish).
KOCHERGA: He says, these days, the people coming are not happy because of their team's mediocre record and the higher cost of visas. Even so, they're among the millions of middle-class Mexicans who visit the U.S. every year to enjoy entertainment and shopping.
UNIDENTIFIED MALL ANNOUNCER: This is the Outlet Shoppes at El Paso.
KOCHERGA: Malls in border states like Texas rely on those tourists. At the Outlet Shoppes of El Paso (ph), 65% of customers on weekends are from Mexico, says Gina Slechta, director of marketing for this mall and another one in Laredo.
GINA SLECHTA: Those consumers are very important to us.
KOCHERGA: Despite the higher cost and new requirements, she believes Mexican shoppers will show up this holiday season.
SLECHTA: They'll make other sacrifices. But making Christmas special for their children and their family members, that's some place that people just do not make those sacrifices.
KOCHERGA: It's the reason so many line up at the U.S. consulate in Juarez, hoping for a tourist visa that allows them to fulfill their dream of visiting relatives, seeing a show in Las Vegas or taking the family to an amusement park. For NPR News, I'm Angela Kocherga in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
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