Tourists trickling into Santa Fe raises concerns

Some fear an influx of out-of-towners could increase coronavirus spread

SANTA FE — Spend any time around the Santa Fe Plaza and you will see license plates from all corners of the country, such as Florida, Louisiana and Minnesota.

As business restrictions have begun easing due to fewer cases of COVID-19 in New Mexico, tourists have begun trickling into the capital city, albeit at a slower rate than usual.

Multiple business owners in downtown Santa Fe said they have begun seeing an increase in foot traffic over the past couple of weeks.

“It’s kind of gotten busier in stages,” said Joey Maestas, manager of The Original Trading Post. “It’s a lot of outof-town tourists. That’s always what our business has been.”

City officials have also taken notice of the increase in tourism, especially in the wake of a forecasted $100 million budget deficit next fiscal year, due largely to a drop in gross receipts and lodger’s taxes.

Randy Randall, executive director of Tourism Santa Fe, said on some weekends hotels are meeting the 50% capacity limit set by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

“We’ve seen each week a little restoration of the occupancy there,” he said. “They’re turning business away.”

However, some local residents have raised concerns about the potential risk of out-of-state tourists visiting Santa Fe, especially from states with fewer coronavirus restrictions.

Former city councilor Frank Montaño, who runs a tour bus in Santa Fe, said he has noticed many people in the Plaza not wearing masks or practicing social distancing.

“You can’t help but think that those people that are downtown who aren’t wearing a mask are likely folks that are

visiting,” he said.

Maestas, himself from Santa Fe, said spikes in the number of cases in nearby states has him worried, noting Arizona as a specific example.

And the daily rate of infections in Santa Fe County has increased slightly in recent weeks, Randall said. He said the city is not currently worried unless the rate continues to grow.

Anne McKinnel and Don Reilly, both wearing masks, recently arrived for a visit from Colorado Springs. They said New Mexico’s success in social distancing was part of the reason they decided to visit.

“We definitely checked that out before deciding to come here,” Reilly said.

Many of those walking around the Plaza Friday were not wearing any kind of face covering, despite orders from Lujan Grisham and the city of Santa Fe requiring people to wear one. McKinnel had taken notice of the lack of masks.

“I think if you’re a tourist and you come into somebody else’s community, you should show them respect by wearing the mask,” she said.

Several tourists without a mask declined to be interviewed. One tourist said he had recently arrived in New Mexico from New York City and had just returned from Shiprock, a town in the Navajo Nation hit especially hard by the coronavirus. Nation President Jonathan Nez has asked tourists not to visit Navajo sites in order to reduce the number of infections.

Randall said the city is in the process of placing signs in the downtown area that remind visitors to wear masks.

While he acknowledged the risks of visitors coming from other states, he said tourists supporting local businesses are vital to Santa Fe maintaining its identity.

“We just can’t stay closed forever,” Randall said. “To try and stay closed for a year is just insane.”

McKinnel said she noticed how eager some business owners in Santa Fe were after having been closed for so long, specifically a pottery shop she visited.

“I almost feel bad for the amazing deal they gave us on two absolutely beautiful Indian pots,” she said. “I couldn’t pass it up, but at the same time, the economy is so struggling right now that you want to support them.”