SANTA FE — In response to recent wildfires in Lincoln County, the New Mexico Tourism Department (NMTD) and the Village of Ruidoso are teaming up to reinspire travel through a targeted tourism advertising campaign.

Through a cooperative funding model, NMTD and the Village of Ruidoso are each contributing $75,000 towards advertising for the campaign. The campaign will primarily target prospective travelers in the west Texas market.

“These catastrophic wildfires have been devastating to New Mexico destinations that rely on our bountiful access to forests, trails and open lands for tourism,” Cabinet Secretary Jen Paul Schroer said. “This partnership demonstrates our commitment to working with local communities to solve problems and ensure tourism continues to rebound and grow.”

“Cabinet Secretary Jen Paul Schroer and the New Mexico Tourism team have been true partners in their collaboration with Ruidoso to help us reinvigorate travel to the region,” Village of Ruidoso Director of Tourism Elizabeth Ritter said. “Due to the high risk of wildfires, access to the trails is restricted; however, there is still such beauty to see here in Ruidoso. Our resilience as a community is inspiring and we are excited for visitors to come experience all that Ruidoso has to offer.”

In late May, representatives from NMTD visited with residents in the Ruidoso community to share information and updates about the department’s programs and visited several of the community’s tourism assets to learn more about recent and upcoming developments. Representatives from NMTD also met with residents in early May as a part of the state’s Cabinet in Your Community wildfire recovery meeting to hear questions, concerns and ideas from constituents.

Residents and travelers are encouraged to stay up-to-date on wildfire activity and response through the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.