MEXICO CITY -– For NFL fans in Mexico, Houston was in many ways an ideal host for Super Bowl LI.

Given the city's relative proximity to the border and its popularity as a tourist destination for Mexico City citizens looking for quick getaways for weekend shopping, a trip to Houston usually ranges from two to three hours by air from Mexico City. It is just above five hours on the ground from Matamoros, the border town closest to it.

Indeed, when it was announced in 2016 that the Oakland Raiders would face off against the Houston Texans at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the event was also used as an opportunity to market the Super Bowl to fans south of the border.

“I don't think it was any coincidence that the league brought the Texans to Mexico the same year the Super Bowl was scheduled in Houston,” says Arturo Palafox, sports editor for Mexican newspaper 24 Horas, covering his 10th Super Bowl this year.

While the NFL exports football to other territories such as the United Kingdom and continental Europe, Mexico remains an important secondary market for the league moving forward, a concept strengthened by the league's renewed focus on bringing regular-season games to the country after a more than decade-long drought.

To that point, the wooing of fans to football's biggest event seems logical in itself. Despite the economic woes and political tension currently affecting the country, Mexican fans are expected to make their presence known at this year's event. Earlier this season, the country's appetite for the NFL was validated when tickets for the Raiders-Texans game sold out in minutes. The Super Bowl, however, requires travel to another country, regardless of how close it might be.

Yet, according to professionals in the travel industry, there's been little change to indicate that the economic downturn is affecting fan interest in attending the game.

“We've gotten about the same amount of requests and sold about the same amount of packages to this point than last year,” said Irais Vazquez, sales manager for Mundomex, a travel agency that serves as an official local travel service provider for FIFA, Formula One and UFC in Mexico.

Despite a sharp drop in the value of the Mexican peso in the months leading up to and directly after the U.S. presidential election, fans are still looking to make the trip to Texas, where the New England Patriots, one of the country's most followed teams, will look to win its fifth Super Bowl.

“With this, we're proving that even with the currency rates, these types of events are still a big draw for fans in Mexico,” Gabriel Rosillo, the marketing manager for Latin American online travel agency Despegar, told Mexican news agency Notimex.

In the last 12 months, the peso has lost footing, with the cost of one U.S. dollar coming to 21 pesos, compared to 18 pesos in January of 2016.

Most travel agencies catering to Mexican tourists advertise prices for events in dollars, but charge customers in pesos, adhering to the fluctuating exchange rate. Though Vazquez admits there was an uptick for requests during last year's Super Bowl, held in the San Francisco area, this year's destination remains popular.

“About half of the fans who bought packages for last year's Super Bowl from us are going this year as well,” said Vazquez.

"There's a certain status attached to attending these types of events," remarks Palafox. "So even if it costs more, they'll go out of their way to do it and be there." Arturo Palafox, sports editor for Mexican newspaper "24 Horas"

According to experts in the travel industry, a package deal for a weekend stay in Houston including airfare, food, transportation and a ticket to the game would likely average out at just below $3,500 dollars per person. Translated to the local currency, the total amount is 73,670 pesos with the current exchange rate. Last year, that same cost in dollars would've cost nearly 10,000 pesos less for Mexican NFL fans.

“There's a certain status attached to attending these types of events,” said Palafox. “So even if it costs more, they'll go out of their way to do it and be there.”

The league itself is also getting in on the act. Via its travel partners, the NFL is offering a multitude of travel packages to its fans, ranging from $5,949 to $12,749 per person. Among other amenities, the most expensive option offers field access as well as VIP invites to parties before and after the game.

Though two of the country's biggest draws -- the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers -- were mowed down in the playoffs, the New England Patriots are also a popular team, albeit with the younger generation. Some say there's a negative, not positive correlation that goes along with fans potentially making the trip.

“I don't think it helped that the Patriots made it,” remarked Palafox. “The older generations, the Steelers and Cowboys fans, those are the ones with enough money to pay their way.”

Even then, there are some exceptions to the rule, such as 34-year-old real estate developer Israel Arteaga, a Pats fan who's attending his second consecutive Super Bowl.

“I've been a fan since the Drew Bledsoe days. Last year I was sure [the Patriots] would make it,” he said.

Buying two tickets to the game, one for him, one for his girlfriend, he bitterly attended the game in Santa Clara between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers after the Broncos ousted the Patriots in the playoffs.

This year, he waited until the Patriots confirmed their attendance to the game.

“I bought my ticket [after the AFC Championship Game] and got plane tickets and a hotel on my own,” he said.

Arteaga's wait-and-see approach meant he's spending much more to attend the Super Bowl than last year, but he, like many fans, will relish the chance to watch Tom Brady potentially hoist the Lombardi trophy.

As Arteaga puts it, the satisfaction of watching his favorite team outweighs everything else. “I work hard to do this, I'm sacrificing certain things, but it's all worth it.”