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MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexico is planning a big new tourism center near the U.S. border along the Gulf of Mexico.

The Fonatur agency that also created Cancun says its new Costa Lora development should eventually have 20,000 rooms for guests and create 115,000 jobs. It's based in the municipality of Soto la Marina, roughly 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Brownsville, Texas.

The name honors the Atlantic Ridley tortoise, known as Tortuga Lora in Spanish. Plans call for preserving habitat for the endangered animal.

Officials who announced the project Thursday say it is aimed at tourists from Texas, New Mexico and Louisiana.

Some $4 billion in private investment is supposed to go into the 20 square-mile (5,334-hectare) area.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 11-14-09 1216CST | save this article / add to your favorites list