While our state focused on the undocumented immigrants coming across the southern border, it ignored the far larger number of tourists who cross legally each day and spend billions of dollars each year.
David Kadlubowski/The Republic
azcentral.com
Wed Oct 2, 2013 2:57 PM
Take a look. Take a hard, fact-based look.
You’ll see that Arizona’s image of Mexico is inaccurate and self-defeating.
Despite the stereotypes, 39 percent of Mexicans are part of a growing middle class. This is about 44 million people — more than the total population of Canada.
That’s opportunity with a capital “O.” As in, “Oh, no, we’ve been wasting time.”
While our state focused on the undocumented immigrants coming across the southern border, it ignored the far larger number of tourists who cross legally each day and spend billions of dollars each year.
It’s time to notice. It’s time to aggressively market our state south of the border.
Mexico’s emerging middle class is looking for travel, recreation and business opportunities. The combined net worth of Mexico’s super-rich increased 18.4 percent to a staggering $148.5 billion this year, according to Forbes. They have money to invest.
Trade with Mexico is symbiosis in action. U.S. imports from Mexico contain an average of 40 percent U.S. content, and Mexico’s imports from the U.S. also have high Mexican content.
Manufacturing costs in Mexico, adjusted for productivity, dropped below those of China in 2012. The Boston Consulting Group predicts that by 2015, production costs in Mexico will be 6 percent lower than in China.
Mexico has a young and increasingly skilled workforce ready to fuel a manufacturing explosion south of the border.
These realities of modern Mexico should be a major part of our state’s vision for 2020.
Arizona is one of four U.S. and six
Mexican border states that make up a dynamic, fast-growing region that’s comparable to the world’s fourth-largest economy. The North American Free Trade Agreement links Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, and presents opportunities that other states mine more effectively than Arizona does.
Arizona has a legacy of healthy trade with Mexico. But there are challenges to our supremacy as a produce-import capital of the nation. There are also truckloads of unrealized potential for developing and expanding trade and production supply chains.
If we get ready.
You’ll see that Arizona’s image of Mexico is inaccurate and self-defeating.
Despite the stereotypes, 39 percent of Mexicans are part of a growing middle class. This is about 44 million people — more than the total population of Canada.
That’s opportunity with a capital “O.” As in, “Oh, no, we’ve been wasting time.”
While our state focused on the undocumented immigrants coming across the southern border, it ignored the far larger number of tourists who cross legally each day and spend billions of dollars each year.
It’s time to notice. It’s time to aggressively market our state south of the border.
Mexico’s emerging middle class is looking for travel, recreation and business opportunities. The combined net worth of Mexico’s super-rich increased 18.4 percent to a staggering $148.5 billion this year, according to Forbes. They have money to invest.
Trade with Mexico is symbiosis in action. U.S. imports from Mexico contain an average of 40 percent U.S. content, and Mexico’s imports from the U.S. also have high Mexican content.
Manufacturing costs in Mexico, adjusted for productivity, dropped below those of China in 2012. The Boston Consulting Group predicts that by 2015, production costs in Mexico will be 6 percent lower than in China.
Mexico has a young and increasingly skilled workforce ready to fuel a manufacturing explosion south of the border.
These realities of modern Mexico should be a major part of our state’s vision for 2020.
Arizona is one of four U.S. and six
Mexican border states that make up a dynamic, fast-growing region that’s comparable to the world’s fourth-largest economy. The North American Free Trade Agreement links Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, and presents opportunities that other states mine more effectively than Arizona does.
Arizona has a legacy of healthy trade with Mexico. But there are challenges to our supremacy as a produce-import capital of the nation. There are also truckloads of unrealized potential for developing and expanding trade and production supply chains.
If we get ready.
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