Red or green? If it’s about the smell, the answer is green.

As summer heat gives way to fall winds, the smell of roasting green chile is starting to flow through New Mexico.

You may be surprised to know that smell is the state’s official aroma.

Passed in 2023, Senate Bill 188 added the smell of roasting green chile to New Mexico’s state symbols list, giving it a place among other famous trademarks like the state question (red or green?) and the state cookie (biscochito).

Fifth-grade students from Monte Vista Elementary School in Las Cruces successfully advocated last year for lawmakers to codify the smell as official.

The bill originally specified the aroma as green chile roasting in the fall, but policymakers removed that section to clarify that the smell stands as a symbol any time of the year.

So how does that affect New Mexico?

The legislation’s fiscal impact report found the legislation could have a positive impact on tourism in New Mexico, though it could be difficult to measure.

“The new state aroma could help draw visitors away from Colorado, which, for some reason, thinks it has green chile comparable to that of New Mexico,” the report reads.

Cody Johnson, spokesperson for the New Mexico Tourism Department, told the Journal via email it would be difficult to draw a direct correlation between the legislation’s passage and a change in visitation since then to New Mexico.

However, he said, the bill’s passage generated national and international media attention, pointing to articles in CNN Travel, the Guardian, the Economist and Condé Nast Traveler.

Cuisine also plays a substantial role in the travel experience to New Mexico, Johnson said. He said 55% of all trips to New Mexico included unique or local food, compared to the U.S. average of 47%.

“Another interesting reference point is how the perception of New Mexico’s cuisine compared to other states emerges as a strength in shaping our identity as a leisure travel destination,” Johnson added.

He said a 2019 study on brand impact effectiveness indexed New Mexico at 106 for “interesting local cuisine,” indicating that the state has better than average cuisine and “is thus considered as a competitive advantage compared to our peer states.”

New Mexico residents could also be affected in a more subjective way.

The bill’s fiscal impact report noted having the official state aroma as roasting green chile “could increase contention in the great ‘Red or Green?’ debate, swaying the answer towards green, despite the codified answer to that question being ‘Christmas, please.’”

(Although green is really the right answer.)

What laws or policies do you want to see written about in Business Outlook? Send an email to mgleason@abqjournal.com.