Marty Schladen

El Paso Times

Google Maps users can now see panoramic 360-degree views of sites in the El Paso area where car-mounted cameras can't go.

New photos of Hueco Tanks and Franklin Mountains state parks, Sun Bowl Stadium and other scenes were posted Tuesday on Google Maps.

El Paso, Austin and Houston were the three Texas cities to partner with Google on the project, which was unveiled in Austin as part of National Travel and Tourism Week.

“We want to showcase what we are known for, which is the natural outdoors,” said Crysti Couture, social and multimedia coordinator for Visit El Paso.

She said that her agency applied to be part of the program. Once accepted, employees and volunteers strapped on Google’s Street View Trekker and journeyed off-road to gather 360-degree images that Visit El Paso sought to highlight.

In one case, she said, a rock climber scrambled to the top of boulders at Hueco Tanks to give virtual visitors a feel for what it is like.

The photos can be viewed in the street-view function on Google Maps. After car-mounted cameras created 360-degree images of thousands of miles of Texas streets, Google decided to turn its multiple lenses on places that can only be accessed on foot.

“To me, it’s about showing what Texas has to offer,” said Gerardo Interiano, Google’s head of external affairs for Texas, Kansas and Missouri.

Couture said that she hopes the ability to see beautiful El Paso scenes will encourage people to visit the sites in person.

Tourism is a vital part of the economies of El Paso and other Texas communities, said Brad Smyth, director of tourism in the Texas governor’s office. He said the industry is responsible for 1.1 million jobs in the Lone Star State.

“Travel matters to everyone who calls Texas home,” he said.

Marty Schladen can be reached at 512-479-6606; mschladen@elpasotimes.com; @martyschladen on Twitter.