La Paz Mayor Kicks Off Tourism Push

The city of La Paz, Mexico kicked off its newest push for leisure tourists from the United States at a news conference in the Historic Library at Redondo Beach's Veterans Park on Tuesday morning.

Jorge Patron, the director of the Los Angeles office of the Mexico Tourism Board, said the two cities are "celebrating the relaunch of La Paz as a destination."

Along with Redondo Beach Mayor Mike Gin and other city officials, dignitaries from La Paz, including Mayor Esthela Ponce and Baja California Sur Secretary of Tourism Ruben Reachi, spoke about the Mexican city's natural beauty, sparkling marinas and low crime rates.

Gin, who has visited the city four times on official business, called the area "beautiful country," saying, "If you have not visited La Paz, you should go down and visit."

"Put it on your bucket list," he said later in the program. "It is a truly special place."

According to statistics compiled for La Paz's new publicity campaign, the city's 2009 murder and manslaughter rate compares favorably to that of California cities with populations between 100,000 and 500,000.

Nevertheless, city officials said recent press about the number of homicides in Mexico has not affected business in La Paz. Because the city is the capital of Baja California Sur, many people travel there for business purposes.

La Paz and Redondo Beach have been sister cities for at least 50 years, according to Gentile Smith, the president of the Redondo Beach Sister Cities Committee.

In an interview with Patch after the presentation, Gin said, "It was just an honor to meet the new mayor and have her come and visit [Redondo Beach] … [La Paz] is such a beautiful place."

"It really is an exceptional destination," he said.