What’s New in the Tourism Industry
Share information about your attraction, business, accommodation and other news by sending it via email to Mike Stauffer, mike.stauffer@state.nm.us.
Tourism Industry News
Sherry Rupert Named to National Travel Advisory Board.
Sherry Rupert, vice president of the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association in Albuquerque, is one of six new members appointed to the Commerce Department’s Travel and Tourism Advisory Board.
The board advises the commerce secretary on travel and tourism issues. Its members represent a broad cross-section of the industry, including transportation and financial services and hotels and restaurants.
Santa Fe Tourism Industry Unites to ‘Celebrate Santa Fe Tourism’
The Santa Fe Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce, the Santa Fe New Mexican and numerous tourism related businesses are uniting to Celebrate Santa Fe Tourism, in conjunction with National Tourism Week, May 4–12, 2013. The main event of the celebration is the Celebrate Santa Fe Tourism Expo May 9 in the Santa Fe Community Convention Center from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Local businesses will be showcasing their attractions, activities, and services in order to excite and inform those in the industry as well as the community at large about the richness of Santa Fe. The Expo is free and open to the public.
Celebrate Santa Fe Tourism is meant to create excitement about—and shine a spotlight on—Santa Fe’s vital Travel and Tourism sector, which employs more than 7,000 people, represents $620 million in economic output, and is Santa Fe’s largest industry.
“The importance of tourism to Santa Fe’s economy is significant,” said Jim Luttjohann, executive director of the Santa Fe Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Whether you measure the jobs supported by tourism, the taxes paid by visitors that enrich every Santa Fean’s well being and quality of life or the businesses that exist here that could not survive without visitor spending.”
Contact Cynthia Delgado, Santa Fe Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, cmdelgado@santafe.org or
505-955-6212.
Native American Contemporary Artists Transform Guestrooms into Works of Art at the Nativo Lodge Hotel
Nativo Lodge, a Heritage Hotels and Resorts, Inc. hotel, located at 6000 Pan American Frwy. in Albuquerque, has commissioned four Native American contemporary artists (Heidi Brandow, Nani Chacon, Rhett Lynch and Ehren Kee Natay) to transform guestrooms into works of art. This bold artist room project is the first of its kind in New Mexico. These large-scale installations will give guests a unique opportunity to be surrounded by each artist’s vision.
These New Mexico artists have received local and national attention including accolades from the world-renowned SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market. Nativo Lodge partnered with SWAIA (Southwestern Association for Indian Arts) to select these featured artists through a juried submission process.
Guest rooms will be available to rent in May and will be priced slightly higher than normal rates. Artist Rooms must be reserved by calling reservations at Nativo Lodge at 505-798-4300. Additional details and photos can be seen at www.NativoLodge.com
Farmington CVB Offers Summer Photo, Video Contest
Amateurs and professionals of all ages are encouraged to participate in the Farmington Convention and Visitors Bureau’s “Endless Skies, Endless Adventures” photo and video contest, which runs June 1 through October 31, 2013. All photos and video must be taken within San Juan County.
A panel of judges will review submissions at the end of each month and select one video and one photo. Each monthly winner will receive a $50 gift card to Best Buy and will be eligible for the $500 overall grand prize to be announced in November 2013. Photos not selected as the monthly winner will be included in the next monthly contest.
“This is a fun way to demonstrate an individual’s enthusiasm for all the fantastic things to see and do throughout the county,” said Tonya Stinson, Executive Director of the CVB.
Visit www.farmingtonnm.org.
Collateral Support Loan Participation Program Gears up for Tour Around N.M.
The New Mexico Economic Development Department and the New Mexico Finance Authority have planned a statewide tour to inform small business owners about the Collateral Support Loan Participation Program (CSP). The development of the program stemmed from the State Small Business Credit Initiative. The program has deployed about $5M to date, leaving approximately $8.5M in financing available to New Mexico small businesses.
The dates and cities are as follows. Contact your local Small Business Development Center or the local Economic Development Organization for exact information – Roswell May 14; Artesia May 15; Farmington May 21; Raton June 3; Silver City June 11; and Las Cruces June 12.
For more information contact the New Mexico Finance Authority, John Brooks Director – Commercial Lending, 505-992-9638 or jbrooks@nmfa.net; or the New Mexico Economic Development Department, Antoinette Vigil – Finance Development Team Leader, 505-827-0264 or antoinette.vigil@state.nm.us.
Future Spaceport America Visitor Centers Take Shape
How about Spaceport America?
Yes, there’s even an app for that — or at least there will be soon.
State officials in recent days unveiled more detail about plans for a 6,000 net square-foot visitor center in Truth or Consequences and a 23,000 net square-foot tourist center at the remote spaceport location just north of Doña Ana County.
The two facilities — which could see up to 200,000 tourists per year — will make heavy use of smart phones and tablets to dish out in-depth information about the spaceport, space history and other New Mexico tourism sites, said Aaron Prescott, business operations manager for the state spaceport authority
Read the story in the Las Cruces Sun-News
Ruidoso to host 2014 TANM Governor’s Conference on Tourism
Ruidoso was chosen by the Tourism Association of New Mexico from among 12 community-submitted proposals to host the 2014 Governor’s Conference on Tourism. This year’s conference is May 5-7 at the Hotel Albuquerque in Albuquerque. Visit http://tanm.org/tanm-news#92 for more information.
Priceline recognizes Albuquerque as America’s Most Pet-Friendly City for Travelers
Albuquerque has been named by priceline.com as the number one place in America for people traveling with their pets. This ranking comes as a result of the city’s high number of pet-friendly hotels, off-leash dog parks and overall walkability.
“People love their pets and many can’t imagine traveling without them,” said priceline.com’s Chief Marketing Officer Brett Keller. “But not all cities and hotels are created equal when it comes to accommodating four-legged friends. We’ve created this list as a guide to help travelers find the best experiences no matter who’s along for the ride.”
Las Cruces CVB Introduces ‘Ticket to Taste’ Restaurant Passport Game
The Las Cruces CVB invites locals and visitors to participate in ‘Ticket to Taste,’ a dining passport program running through May 31, in which meals at participating restaurants can be redeemed for entries into a grand prize drawing.
Visitors to Las Cruces can win a two-night complimentary stay and a $500 gift certificate to experience the culinary delights of Las Cruces. Doña Ana County residents can win dinner for eight prepared and hosted by local chef and author Kelley Coffeen.
‘Ticket to Taste’ dining passports can be found at participating restaurants, the Las Cruces CVB, the Las Cruces Sun News offices, the Mesilla Visitors Center, local hotels and attractions, or from www.staysunny.org. Passports will be validated at participating restaurants or via text message code provided by the waiter or waitress.
Participants can also join the ‘Ticket to Taste’ conversation on Facebook and receive special offers from participating restaurants, take part in poll questions, answer trivia questions, and tag ‘Visit Las Cruces, New Mexico’ in uploaded photos with food items for a chance to win daily prizes. Visit www.staysunny.org, https://www.facebook.com/lascrucescvb or call 575-541-2444.