Recognition that tourism and the hospitality industry bring significant outside money to a community prompted Prescott Mayor Marlin Kuykendall and the city to initiate a formal Office of Tourism in July 2010.
In the four years since, tourism dollars have played a major role in Prescott’s economy.
Kuykendall enthusiastically acknowledged, “…tourism is a growing, vibrant industry in the area. Our historic heritage, cultural attractions and outdoor recreation, like golf, attract visitors from not just Arizona but the entire nation. “
The result of that increased visitation, he added, was the “…transient occupancy tax, otherwise known as the ‘bed tax,’ was up nearly 14 percent in September. Right now, it’s up by more than nine percent since the start of the fiscal year.”
The mayor emphasized that the city carefully monitors those and other related numbers as indicators of how the lodging industry is performing.
City Councilman Charlie Arnold echoes Kuykendall.
“Tourism is a big part of our economy. A good tourism base helps create jobs. It stimulates activities which appeal not only to visitors and local residents,” he said.
Arnold adds that the diverse year-round activities that appeal to tourists also generate revenue for businesses and taxes for the city.
“In my view, tourism promotion is a good investment for the city,” he said.
Longtime council member Jim Lamerso endorses the still-growing Office of Tourism.
“I think we are really seeing the rewards of having the city invest in tourism promotion. Our support for that office has had positive impact throughout Arizona and the Southwest. It goes beyond that. Prescott’s reputation as a hospitable place is spreading nationally and internationally,” Lamerso said.
Tourism Numbers are Up
Don Prince, hired in July 2010 to turn the Office of Tourism into a reality, now routinely issues what is called the Prescott Tourism Partners Newsletter.
Cumulative data from that monthly document reveal the following:
- Bed tax collections – up 40 percent in the past four years.
- Lodging metrics – up from 48 percent in 2009 to 60 percent year to date.
- Requests for brochures and other promotional materials – up 16 percent over last year.
- Facebook “likes” – up 31 percent over last year (average weekly reach varies from 2,000 to 5,000).
- Website visits – up almost 30 percent over last year, same time: 74,175 vs. 57,116.
These are but a few of the numbers. Prince and his staff – tourism sales manager, Tim McAlphin, and special events manager, Becky Karcie – manage to compete aggressively with two other Northern Arizona communities renowned for tourism, Flagstaff and Sedona.
“And we do it with one-fifth the budget,” Prince, a Prescott native, noted. “Flagstaff and Sedona have tourism promotion budgets of somewhere around $1.5 million each. Here, we’re doing it with $290,000. Think what we could do if we had more.”
Prior to coming home to Prescott, Prince had more than 30 years of national and international tourism and marketing experience. As a senior-level executive with the Arizona Office of Tourism for eight years, he was responsible for a $7.5 million marketing budget.
Prince and his team work closely with a knowledgeable Prescott Tourism Advisory Team. A key member of that team is Margo Christensen. She and her husband, Brad, own Ponderosa Hotel Management, which owns the Marriott Residence Inn and the Marriott Springhill Suites in Prescott. They also own the Sleep Inn and Comfort Inn in Flagstaff.
Prince and Christensen, who is a member of the board of directors for the Prescott Chamber of Commerce, praise David Maurer, the Chamber chief executive officer, for the efforts the Chamber puts into sponsoring events that attract visitors to the community.
Christensen is an articulate advocate in wanting “…more national and international visitors to select the Quad Cities area as a destination.”
“We also need to do more with corporate and major organization groups, and we’re serious about finding ways to do so.
“In truth, I think the U.S. should become even more aggressive in welcoming international tourists, too, especially from countries like Brazil, India, Japan and China. Certainly Europeans, especially Germans, bring big tourism dollars to America,” she said.
International Visitors Bring Big Money
Prince, Christensen, and others on his advisory team all agree that Prescott made a good decision by courting international tourists. They cite research data that show that international travel to the U.S. injects millions into the economy.
Prince said, “The world is experiencing an unprecedented boom in international travel. No country, state or community can sit on the sidelines. We in Prescott have got to compete to bring those visitors here.”
He mentioned one such study, announced by U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade, Stefan M. Selig. It showed that international tourism in the past year is up nearly six percent over the same period in 2013.
“International travel and tourism continue to be a leading industry sector in the U.S. economy, supporting businesses and more than 7.7 billion jobs in local communities,” the report said.
Christensen agrees with Prince about appealing to international travelers, citing information from a national organization, BRAND USA. It is a non-profit, private-public partnership dedicated to increasing inbound international travel to the U.S.
A board member of AZTLA (Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association), she explained, “We in Arizona are quite involved with BRAND USA. We know, for instance, that overseas visitors spend an average of $4,500 per trip. They generate tax revenues without burdening local services like schools or public safety.
“What most people don’t realize is that one in nine American jobs are dependent upon travel and tourism. International visitors alone support more than 1.2 million jobs. That certainly translates to jobs in Arizona and the Quad Cities area,” she continued.
German Tourists Especially Are Courted by Prescott
In October, Christensen helped the City of Prescott, with cooperation from the Arizona Office of Tourism, host a German Media Familiarization (FAM) Tour for nine German travel writers.
German response about Prescott was more than just enthusiastic.
Marcus Feuerstein, media representative from Hannover, Germany, wrote Prince.
“It was a fantastic time in Prescott. I don’t even know where to start with my new impressions. … Our whole group was deeply impressed with the wonderful city of Prescott…the cowboy life, the museums, the bars and saloon, the special people, the buildings. Everyone with our group told me they would have liked to stay even longer in Prescott.”
Prince recently commissioned an eight-page, four-color brochure. It describes in vivid verbal and pictorial content the community, the natural environment, outdoor adventure opportunities, western culture, and of course, unique shopping experiences which the area provides.
What makes it different?
It is in German.
It is the first time that a Prescott tourism brochure issued by the city has been published in a foreign language.
Prince says the brochure would be distributed at three major travel shows in Germany –Stuttgart, with an attendance approaching 250,000; Hamburg, which will attract 75,000; and Munich, where more than 110,000 will attend.
No one knows how many Europeans will read the brochure, but that kind of exposure and visibility for Prescott in a major foreign market is bound to have positive impact. Christensen also has been directly involved with the outreach efforts in Germany. In early 2013, she helped spearhead a steering committee that developed a Sister City partnership between Prescott and Zeitz, Germany, a town of about 33,000 two hours south of Berlin.
The Christensens also recently published a German language four-page brochure promoting the Prescott area. It was for a trade mission to Germany.
Councilmember Lamerson expresses pleasure in having German tourists.
“I recently had German tourists come into my jewelry store and rave about how thrilled they were to be in an historic ‘Wild West’ town.”
Mayor Kuykendall perhaps best summed up how tourists are viewed in the community when he said, “We want visitors to leave feeling just as good about Prescott as we who live here. After all, it is ‘Everybody’s Hometown.’” QCBN
By Ray Newton
Quad Cities Business News
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