PHOENIX — As spring break rolls on in Rocky Point, business owners are still seeing some impacts months out from the closure of the Lukeville Port of Entry in December.
During spring break, the owner of Ole Mole Peñasco Restaurant, Cindi Lowe, said she expected to see crowds of people taking over the tourist town.
“Spring break is usually pretty crowded,” Lowe said. “Last week, we expected [a] large crowd — we did not get it.”
Lowe said the University of Arizona and Arizona State University spring break week was quieter than usual.
She believes uncertainty created during the Lukeville Port of Entry closure in December caused tourists to change plans.
“Many, many people canceled their reservations and went elsewhere,” Lowe said.
Salvador Cabrales owns a rental property in Rocky Point. He said he still rented out nights for spring break, however, tourists shifted their reservation planning from months ahead, to days.
“We’ll get booked up two months and three months ahead and what we’re seeing now is bookings that happen often a week before,” Cabrales said.
Despite fewer college students in her restaurant, Lowe said she’s seeing a steady flow of families make their way to the beach town, giving the first financial hope for businesses in months.
“It’s kind of like starting over. We're slowly building back up,” Lowe said.
