'WE'RE JUST NOT LOOKING GOOD TO PEOPLE'

posted by Michael Chihak

An Arizona tourist industry rebound from the recession-driven malaise of the last three years may rest with what outsiders think of the state, a prominent Tucson restaurateur suggests.

Arizona's passage of Senate Bill 1070, which many call the nation's strongest law against illegal immigrants, and a subsequent call for a boycott of the state, which U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, endorsed, had a negative effect on the state's image, El Charro Cafe's Carlotta Flores said in an interview today.

"The Grijalva boycott put an arrow through us," Flores said. "SB1070 had the same effect. We're just not looking good to people."

Flores and her family operate El Charro Cafe in downtown Tucson, which at 89 years is the city's oldest continuously operated restaurant. They also run four other Mexican restaurants and related food operations in the Tucson metropolitan area.

She said the poor year that the tourism industry had in 2010 "is lapping over into 2011. We can see it in all that is happening."

She said she hopes the start of the Tucson Gem and Mineral shows last weekend will be a boost for local restaurants and tourism-related businesses, and there are early signs that it is busier this year than last.

At the same time, Flores said, Tucson must absorb the loss of spring training baseball, which some economists estimated made a $30 million contribution to the local economy each year. This is the first year since 1947 that Tucson hasn't had a Major League baseball team for spring training.

"Everything is different now," Flores said. "It used to be the season was five months. But now, you're hoping that February, March and April are good enough to get you through the long, hot summer."