EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — As El Paso prepares for one of its biggest events this weekend with the BTS concerts, nearby communities, including Las Cruces, are seeing a surge in visitors and a squeeze on lodging.
Since the popular K-pop group announced its tour, the rush to book hotels in El Paso has led some travelers to reserve rooms in Las Cruces instead.
According to city officials, room availability in Las Cruces has steadily dropped for months.
“A lot of those visitors coming from El Paso to Las Cruces to stay since a lot of the hotels got booked up. And not only are the hotels seeing that, but a lot of our short-term rentals are completely booked as well,” said Lorena Lozano, director of marketing for Visit Las Cruces.
Lozano said the influx benefits the local economy. “It helps support local businesses, it helps support infrastructure within the community through taxes,” she said.
Las Cruces officials said the city’s 3,000 hotel rooms across 60 hotels are completely booked.
The BTS concert will be held on May 2 and 3 at the University of Texas at El Paso’s Sun Bowl stadium.
Fans with VIP tickets will be able to start lining up at 10 a.m. Fans with general tickets will be able to start lining up starting at 3 p.m., depending on which gate. General doors will be open at 5:30 p.m.
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