Officials worried for possible economic impact of violence in Nuevo Laredo

This weekend's violence in Nuevo Laredo hit an all-time high with members of drug cartels fighting with Mexican military.

Photos of the aftermath immediately began circulating on social media with the Mexican consulate and the City of Laredo issuing travel advisories to its citizens.

This is not the kind of publicity a U.S. border city wants to see, especially those that rely on its neighbors to the south to help boost their economy.

With the holidays just around the corner, officials are worried shoppers from the interior of Mexico will choose to bypass Nuevo Laredo and, subsequently, Laredo as a shopping destination.

"We've seen cities like Reynosa get affected really, and it affected traffic into McAllen, the last two, three years so we certainly don't want to see that in our area, it's troubling,” said Miguel Conchas of the Laredo Chamber of Commerce. “I'm sure that everyone here, the retailers are concerned, but hopefully, we'll see the Mexican government, institutes some forms of security, and assure that the traffic is safe to travel."

In 2018, Mexican shoppers spent a whopping $3.4 billion just in sales alone in Laredo.

However, the potential is even greater than that. With a record amount of sales reached back in 2015 of $3.6 billion in Laredo.

Officials say they are keeping their fingers crossed that this last surge of violence does not affect our Tourism Retail industry.