BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Is it possible to link the Rio Grande to London’s famed River Thames?
Digitally yes, and it is going to happen next week.
The Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation and the Rio South Texas Economic Council are set to host a virtual tour of the Rio Grande Valley border region for the British Consulate General in Houston.
The British Consulate General in Houston maintains and develops relations between the United Kingdom and the United States.
The virtual tour will take place Oct. 19 thru Oct. 23rd, with participation by invitation only.
Josh Mejia, BCIC executive director, said that with current social distancing measures continuing to disrupt travel, the event will be held online.
“We are essentially taking what would have been an in-person tour of Brownsville, into a full week long virtual event that showcases the unlimited possibilities of our borderplex region,” Mejia told the Rio Grande Guardian.
“We’re working with our regional partners and neighboring economic development organizations to showcase the best that the Valley has to offer.”
Mejia said the virtual tour will include virtual interaction between a number of local and international economic development organizations, elected officials, and community leaders.
Richard Hyde is Her Majesty’s Consul General in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Hyde said he is looking forward to the virtual tour.
“I am excited to tour, virtually, the important border region of the Rio Grande Valley. The
UK is the largest foreign investor in Texas. I look forward to discussing the economic
development opportunities a US-UK Free Trade Agreement could bring to the area and how we might increase further the UK-Texas trading relationship,” Hyde said.
“Most importantly I look forward to speaking with a broad range of different people to get a real sense of the issues, challenges and opportunities in this fascinating region.”
Hyde added: “I hope that this will be the first of many engagements between the British Consulate General and the Rio Grande Valley. A virtual visit can never replace a real visit, and I look forward to visiting properly as soon as I can.”
Organizers say the virtual business trip by the United Kingdom’s Consul General in Houston will be the first official visit ever – virtual or otherwise – by a British diplomat to the Rio Grande Valley.
“Great Britain is not only a major player in global trade. It is also Texas’ largest source of foreign direct investment,” said Matt Z. Ruszczak, RSTEC’s executive director.
“Consul General Hyde’s virtual visit to our region is not only a reaffirmation of the special relationship between Great Britain and the USA, but also important to the strengthening of the global connection our region enjoys at the heart of the North American supply chain.”
Nathan Burkhart is BCIC’s director of marketing and small business development.
“This is another example of collaboration and teamwork at play in the Rio Grande Valley,” Burkhart told the Rio Grande Guardian.
“We first saw this with the emergence of a regional university with UTRGV, then with the creation of our regional MPO, and we are now seeing more collaboration on the economic development side.”
Editor’s Note: For more information about the virtual tour, contact Nathan Burkhart at nburkhart@bcic.us or at 956-459-2123.
Editor's Note: The main image accompanying the above news story shows Tower Bridge on the River Thames, London.
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