Upon arrival, a sign welcomes guests with "The Friendliest City in the World," but coming into the city it appears the center has run out of "friends" along the malecón and Morelos Street - abandoned store fronts, something unthinkable a few years ago.
One empty restaurant displays a sign, "this restaurant is closed because a lack of people". Another reads, "No Sales, No People," the image is repeated over several blocks in centro.
Some attribute the decline in centro tourism on the rerouted traffic along the malecón after a remodel several years ago, but people in the tourism industry . . .
