Asians Go Mexican

Asians are the source of a 15 percent increase in tourism along the so-called tourist sector of Tijuana, according to Andrés Méndez Martínez, coordinator of the tourist-business association known as Ceturmex.

In a daily Frontera article, Méndez said that of the few foreign tourists who have been arriving this summer, the majority have been Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, traveling in large tour groups and bused in from California, wherein they spend the bulk of their vacation. The most common itinerary is a day-trip from California.

It is common to see groups of 30 or more Asian tourists gathered at the trolley stop in San Ysidro, being briefed on the laws and culture of Mexico before crossing the border.

Recently, a large group of camera-clad Asian tourists was seen moving through the notorious Zona Norte nightclub sector, men and women shyly wending their way through the taco stands, nightclub barkers, hustlers, and hookers.