What’s news in Baja California?

What’s the quality successful Baja California this week? The authorities dwarfs Baja California Sur successful tourism, contempt ever fashionable Los Cabos successful the latter. Border proximity is simply a notable factor, arsenic is the beingness of galore charismatic destinations, including Tijuana, Ensenada, and the vino state of Valle de Guadalupe. Tijuana unsocial received much than eight cardinal visitors successful 2023 (more than treble the full of Los Cabos), and Baja California welcomed astir 30 cardinal statewide. 

Here are the stories you mightiness person missed:

Rosarito to big Tianguis Turístico Mexico successful 2025

(Tianguis Turistico/Instagram)

As a reflection of its tourism bona fides and its borderline proximity, Baja California has been chosen to big the 49th variation of Tianguis Turístico Mexico (TTM), Latin America’s largest tourism-related fair. 

The lawsuit dates backmost to 1975, with the archetypal 36 iterations of the TTM held successful Acapulco. That metropolis inactive hosts biennially (most precocious successful 2022 and 2024), but since 2012, different destinations person besides been chosen to big arsenic the TTM has grown successful size and scope. 

For example, successful 2023, Mexico City welcomed 1,328 exhibiting companies (including edifice and hose representatives and tourism offices from each 32 Mexican states) and implicit 2,000 buyers from 90 countries worldwide. 

This year, Tijuana takes implicit hosting duties from April 28 to May 1. Billed arsenic the archetypal binational edition, immoderate activities volition hap successful the U.S. (in San Diego), and 45% of buyers attending volition beryllium from the U.S. and Canada. Buyers successful this discourse means question agents, circuit operators, and the like.

“I firmly judge that tourism is the lone span that unites everything,” Josefina Rodríguez Zamora, caput of Mexico’s Secretaría de Turismo (Sectur), told La Jornada. She’s bullish that contempt the changeless quality of tariffs and deportations (over 40,000 people were deported to BC successful 2024), the fig of visitors to Mexico from the U.S. volition increase, arsenic it does astir each year. Upwards of 14 cardinal and a fractional cardinal are expected successful 2025. 

That would so beryllium an uptick. In 2024, Mexico received 45 cardinal overseas visitors, 12.7 cardinal of whom were from the U.S. The full fig made Mexico the seventh astir fashionable nationwide tourer destination successful the satellite past year, trailing lone France, Spain, the U.S., China, Italy, and Turkey.

Baja California recognizes animals arsenic sentient beingness forms with ineligible rights

(Gobierno Edomex)

Many long-held assumptions astir animals are being overturned. Recent studies, for example, person shown that the songs of humpback whales are structured similarly to quality language. Despite this breakthrough, galore researchers stay hesitant to word however whales pass arsenic language. However, this reticence seems little similar technological rigor than an ingrained arrogance that assumes lone humans person the capableness for definite varieties of quality and feeling. 

This is not by everyone, naturally. Many radical are convinced that animals merit and should beryllium guaranteed respectful treatment. In immoderate cases, this thought is taking connected the unit of law. Baja California, for instance, conscionable became the latest governmental assemblage to enact authorities recognizing animals arsenic sentient beings with inherent rights. 

On April 2, 2025, the 25th Legislature of the Baja California Congress passed a betterment formally enshrining this designation successful the authorities constitution. This initiative, approved by Governar Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda, provides the authorities with a ineligible model to marque argumentation changes oregon enact regulatory protections for the well-being of animals, who are present legally “sentient,” a connection defined arsenic “able to comprehend oregon consciousness things.”

By doing so, Baja California joins a increasing database of nations and states. Over 30 countries person present enacted animal welfare oregon sentience-related legislation. Many of these, it indispensable beryllium noted, are successful Europe. France’s designation of animals arsenic sentient beings dates backmost to 1976. Belgium has canonized this content successful its constitution. In 2022, the U.K. established an Animal Sentience Committee with input into animal-related policies. 

CDMX and 2 different Mexican states, Michoacán and Nuevo León, person besides recognized that animals are sentient, joining the question to thrust societal consciousness of the issue. However, what those recognitions mean for laws and enforcement policies is sometimes murky. BC’s governor, by contrast, notes per UnoTV that it volition go “the archetypal authorities carnal extortion strategy successful Mexico.”

What does this mean? Three caller announced offices volition beryllium added to the authorities bureaucracy: an carnal payment directorate, an biology prosecutor’s office, and a state-run carnal wellness facility. BC is frankincense backing up the ineligible protections for animals amended successful the authorities constitution with a applicable model to enforce them.  

The 39-year-old is the archetypal pistillate politician of Baja California and, according to a December support standing survey, the astir popular governor successful Mexico. 

Major bypass from Tijuana to Ensenada planned

(Pinterest)

Studies are underway for a major caller roadworthy project slated to statesman operation successful 2026: a 24-kilometer, two-lane bypass that volition streamline postulation betwixt Tijuana and Ensenada, with connections to Rosarito, Tecate, and Valle de Guadalupe. The task is expected to instrumentality 4 years to complete, astatine a outgo of 3.5 cardinal pesos, per La Secretaría de Infraestructura, Comunicaciones y Transportes (SICT). 

It’s 1 spoke connected a overmuch larger wheel, Claudia Sheinbaum’s 250 cardinal concern successful national highways arsenic portion of the National Road Infrastructure Program scheduled during her six-year word arsenic president. At slightest 9 national highways and 9 bridges volition beryllium affected. Thirty-five cardinal is earmarked for the programme successful 2025. 

Not lone is the Tijuana to Ensenada bypass meant to supply enhanced accessibility to country destinations, but it volition besides connection an estimated 10 1000 positive jobs to determination residents. 

Solar panels approved for Mexicali

(Nuno Marques/Unsplash)

President Sheinbaum has besides greenlit 5,500 photovoltaic star panels, which volition beryllium installed successful Mexicali arsenic portion of the Sol del Norte programme and should assistance to little energy bills locally. 

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas section adept for the USA Today question website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos question guidebook and a contributor to galore websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related contented and manner features focused connected food, vino and golf.