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The Texas Rose Festival's tourism benefits local businesses

It's just a blessing for them to come and stop by to see us," said Edgar Ordorica, owner of Taqueria El Lugar.

TYLER, Texas — Each year the Texas Rose Festival brings thousands of visitors and millions of dollars to Tyler's economy. 

Businesses like Taqueria El Lugar are excited for this year’s festival because of the tourism and extra income.

"Coming from a small business, I'm here from open to close," said Edgar Ordorica, owner of Taqueria El Lugar. "I see everybody, I see all the faces that come in and the new faces that we seen. It's just a blessing for them to come and stop by to see us."

Ordorica isn’t the only local business owner who benefits from the yearly tourism. 

Down the street ETX Brewing Co. also sees a yearly increase of income. 

"We have been open for five and a half years, and when people come to Tyler they want to find what is unique about Tyler," said Annie Gilstrap, co-owner of ETX Brewing Co. 

"Being a brew pub in downtown Tyler, we are unique. So we get to meet a lot of new faces, a lot of visitors that are just wanting to come see what Tyler's about and what we have to offer," said Gilstrap.

With the inclusiveness of the Hispanic community in this year’s parade, owner of G-FORCE Media Diana Lopez said many Latinos are looking to come visit the Rose City as well. 

"You'll see for the first time what imprints and what impact our Hispanic community is going to make," Lopez said. "But of course, we just can't wait to see the duchess, the queen, and just the beautiful dresses and the variety of floats that they're gonna have."

So if you’re thinking about coming out to Tyler, this is what these business owners have to say. 

"Come on by there's a rose parade coming on," Ordorica said. "It's gonna be awesome."

"Come on down and hang out with us," Gilstrap said. "Have a good time. Cheers with a good craft beer."

"Just don't miss it," Lopez said. "We'll see you this Saturday, October 15th. It starts at 10 a.m. and we'll be there."

The president of Visit Tyler Shari Lee said the Downtown Visitor Center felt the impact of the incoming tourism this Thursday. She said the center saw an increase of 150% in sales that day. 

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