Written by Tommy Acosta —

Sedona, Ariz. – The city is now tasked with tourism management after establishing itself as Sedona’s new destination marketing organization (DMO).

All eyes are on the city and its city council, which is walking a treacherous plank over the swirling storm waters below as it tries to come up with a plan to curb the out-of-control tourism that's clogging the streets… and… , trying to attract tourists who will pay to stay.

Good luck.

TripAdvisor named Sedona as one of the most beautiful places to visit and stay.

Everywhere in the world of travel business, Sedona is praised for its beauty, restaurants, resorts, and hotels. Its hiking, its spirituality and healing nature. You can enjoy that adventure and everything else under the sun in her one of the most beautiful places on earth.

This is likely to attract even more tourists. No matter how much money you try to attract, poorer people will flock to Sedona in droves to enjoy the rich amenities Sedona has to offer.

It is common for roads to become congested during busy seasons. Sedonans must learn how to deal with it.

Maybe we'll paint the red rocks black, put up signs that say “If you make less than $100,000, turn back and go home,” put up barricades for people driving into town, and make the Sedona Airport slides worse. Ripping up the roads could help tighten restrictions on tourists. Turn on the faucet a little bit. But they will find a way to come anyway. The mystique of Sedona is so alluring.

The city council and the city are dealing with a growing tsunami of visitors, but it shows no signs of slowing down.

Many ideas will be discussed as the city looks for ways to reduce the influx of day-trippers and increase the number of people who stay for a few days and spend their money.

But you can't do that without having people come for a day or two, fill the hiking trails, eat at more affordable establishments, and go home.

It has been proposed to target people who fly to Phoenix for vacation, but arguably most visitors will be by car, which means more cars on the roads.

No matter what the city tries to do or recommends, it's not going to make most Sedonians happy…except for business owners in the city, whether they live here or not. is. Their greatest joy is when they see residents trying to get from one end of town to the other paralyzed by mile-long traffic jams.

And remember, ATVs will continue to proliferate if city efforts to ban or regulate them fail. These companies are marketing Sedona on their own, attracting only the kind of tourists the City Council doesn't want.

A city is damned if it does, damned if it doesn't. While trying to attract the wealthy, destination marketing only increases the number of cars on the road, as less wealthy people flock in regardless of efforts to attract the spenders.

It's simple multiplication. Basic addition.

Those involved in this effort, both city officials and Sedona residents, should be commended for taking on this near-impossible task of redefining tourism in Sedona.

But it all comes back to this question…Are we the owners of Sedona or its custodians?

When you try to change something you can't change, you may have to change yourself instead.