Proturismo Visitor Information Center
Re-opens in Ensenada
text
by connie ellig; photos by david hopps &
connie
ellig
 Originally
constructed in 1986, the Proturismo de
Ensenada
Visitor Information Center has undergone extensive remodeling
and modernization
funded by city, state and federal governments, the Ensenada Hotel &
Motel
Association, and the private tourism sector. More than 100 dignitaries,
invited
guests and members of the press were present on the afternoon of
October 26,
2007 to inaugurate the newly renovated facilities.
The
inauguration was a festive affair. After welcoming
speeches by Proturismo President Normando Novelo and Proturismo
Director
Felizardo Palacios, Ensenada Mayor César Mancillas presented a
plaque of
recognition to current Hotel Association President Carlos Gallegos, who
as
President of Proturismo (formerly known as COTUCO) in 1986, was
instrumental in
securing the land and raising funds for the original Visitor Center.
As an additional honor to Dr. Gallegos, Proturismo’s new meeting room
bears the
name “Sala de Juntas Dr. Carlos Gallegos Quiroz.” (According to a
source at
Proturismo: “We had hoped to surprise Carlos by naming the meeting room
after
him but it proved to be the worst-kept secret in Ensenada!”)
 Mayor
Mancillas and Dr. Gallegos then unveiled a
commemorative plaque near the building’s entrance and presided over
ribbon-cutting ceremonies. After guests entered the lobby and signed
the
registration book, they met and mingled while sipping wine and savoring
hors
d’oeuvres prepared by local restaurants.
The attractively
appointed lobby features a reception desk staffed
by bilingual personnel, racks of English and Spanish brochures of Ensenada and the region, and a television display
of images
and videos by noted Baja
California
photographers like Julio Rodríguez and Enrique Fuentes. In
addition to
restrooms and a meeting room seating up to 25 persons, there is office
space
for the staff of Proturismo as well as the staff of the Ensenada
Tourism Board.
Headed by President Normando Novelo and Director Felizardo Palacios,
the
Proturismo staff includes Public Relations Manager Oscar Kawanishi,
Administrative Manager René Gil, Assistant to the Director and
Promoter Olga
Benson, and Promoter Ricardo Collins.
 The Proturismo
de Ensenada Visitor Information Center is
located at the city’s northern entrance in the triangle formed by Blvd.
Lázaro
Cárdenas (Blvd. Costero), Calle de la Marina and Blvd. Teniente
Azueta, and has
eight designated
parking spaces in front and to the rear of the building. Fall/winter
hours of
operation are 8am-8pm Monday-Friday, and 9am-1pm Saturday and Sunday.
To
contact the Visitor
Information Center,
call
(646)178-2411 or (646)178-3317, fax (646)178-3675 or e-mail: fpalacios@ensenada.gob.mx
top
|
home
