In an effort to seek community perspectives on the subject of Sedona tourism, the City of Sedona is inviting applications for its new Tourism Advisory Board (TAB). This voluntary body is vetted and selected by the City Council and consists of 11 people appointed to advise the City Council and officials on tourism strategic planning, branding and marketing, visitor management programs, community tourism initiatives and other tourism decisions. will be Relevant matters assigned by the city council.

Through the development of an in-house urban tourism program and the activities of TAB, the City Council intends to support tourism not only to ensure a healthy economy, but also to balance the needs of businesses and the quality of life of its residents. In 2021-2022, in the wake of a surge in visitor numbers to Sedona and the resulting impact, the City Council will suspend funding for destination marketing and refocus efforts toward tourism management and mitigation. .

With Sedona’s economy softening somewhat in the last year, additional strategies need to be considered for both targeted branding and marketing, responsible destination management and environmental stewardship.

“This group has a unique opportunity to play a key role in creating destination marketing and management programs that consider and address today’s tourism challenges. , should not be taken for granted in the future. We look forward to convening this group by early fall to begin this important effort,” said City Manager Karen Osburn. .

Background

In Spring 2023, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Office notified the city that it has no plans to renew its current contract for tourism management and marketing services. Shortly after, the City Council designated the City of Sedona as an official Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) with the Arizona Department of Tourism and directed officials to develop a new city tourism management program.

The first step in building this program is that the voices and perspectives of all community stakeholders and stakeholder groups will be equally and fairly represented in future conversations on tourism and tourism-related goals and actions. One way to guarantee that is to create a TAB.

Board Details and Application Process

TAB should represent a wide variety of expressions, perspectives and opinions. Applicant must be a Sedona resident, own or operate a business within the city limits, or be at least one representative of an organization that serves the community.

At least initially, the group plans to meet monthly starting in the fall. Over time, less initial work and meetings may move to quarterly meetings. It is anticipated that subcommittees will be established to address specific issues, and special meetings will be required on a regular basis.

Meetings are subject to the requirements of the Open Meetings Act, agendas are posted in advance, and meetings are live-streamed and recorded for complete transparency. The duration of TAB is mixed with his 2 or 4 years.

Applications may be picked up at City Hall, 102 Roadrunner Dr., or accessed by: This fillable PDF version. Please return the completed application to the City Clerk’s Office or return it via the email below. cityclarksdept@sedonaaz.gov No later than 5:00 pm on July 10, 2023.

Once the application deadline has passed, the City Council will review your application and schedule an in-person interview.

For more information

For more information on TAB’s responsibilities, please contact City Manager Karen Osburn at (928) 203-5067 or kosburn@sedonaaz.gov.

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