The Nancy Cárdenas Movement in Parras de la Fuente has embarked on a crusade to transform the Magical Town into a preferred destination for “LGBT tourism,” not only nationally but also internationally. They are collaborating with hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, and other service providers who will offer discounts and special promotions for this market.
Margarita Flores Velázquez, the vice president of the LGBTQ+ collective, noted that culturally, this may be a bit of a shock to the municipality because society is not very accustomed to receiving a large number of people from the LGBTQ+ community, except during LGBTQ+ pride marches.
“It’s an acceptance once a year. The idea is to start opening up this mindset and landscape so that it’s not just the usual tourism we have but also open it up to the global LGBTQ+ population to come to Parras and enjoy activities in a more open, relaxed, and confident manner, whether they come with their partner or their family, without feeling judged, offended, or rejected.”
“We also want to bring something extra, dive into marketing, and avoid stigmatization. We intend to involve everything related to hospitality, restaurants, tourist centers, and tour guides,” including guided tours of vineyards and bringing artistic performances targeted more towards the LGBTQ+ community to compete with Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Tijuana in attracting this type of tourism.
“In other words, by coming here, we will offer you this, we reward you for being brave enough to come to a different place and enjoy the activities,” Margarita Flores explained, emphasizing that Parras is ready to embrace this tourism market.
César Seca Rivas, a representative of the Nancy Cárdenas Movement, pointed out that there are cities known as “gay-friendly,” while in others, there is resistance, and they aim to change that mindset, making it normal and welcoming for people from other states and countries to say, “Parras is a place where society accepts us, and we don’t accept discrimination.”
“We want same-sex families to come and enjoy a weekend or vacation peacefully,” he said, noting that in the Magical Town, lesbian women, especially young ones, are more comfortable holding hands in public, while men may have more reservations.
He asserted that “LGBT tourism” will provide a significant economic boost to all businesses willing to work with the LGBTQ+ community, benefiting the entire population through job creation and economic growth.
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