Tourism Data

Tourism is one of Otero County's top industries.  With the White Sands National Monument, New Mexico Museum of Space History, International Space Hall of Fame, Lincoln National Forest and the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation, Otero County has New Mexico's strongest, most versatile tourism product.

Recent Average Daily Traffic Count figures for White Sands Boulevard range between 18,000-20,000 vehicles.  Alamogordo is a major passageway to the Sacramento Mountains--the closest mountains for Texas residents.  The Alamogordo Visitors' Center in FY00-01 had 15,506 visitors and 12,050 tourism / relocation packets were mailed out. 

Other nearby attractions include: (See Regional Recreation for additional information)

• Three Rivers Petroglyphs site (BLM-managed petroglyph collection and campsites)
  
  
• The Valley of Fires Recreation Area (major lava flow, camp sites)
  
  
• The Apache Point Observatory and National Solar Observatory, in Sunspot
  
  
• The alpine mountain village of Cloudcroft with its lodge resort
  
  
• Mescalero Apache Casino and Inn of the Mountain Gods
  
  
• Ruidoso Downs 
  
  
• Ruidoso, New Mexico is encircled by several attractions that offer year-round activities 
  
  
• Las Cruces, New Mexico is 68 miles from Alamogordo 
  
  
• El Paso, Texas is 86 miles south of Alamogordo 
  
  

Annual events, such as the two Trinity Site tours (est. 2,000 visitors at site per tour), White Sands Balloon Festival (est. 20,000 visitors over three days), and numerous festivals further add to our tourism visitations.