Proceeds from sales went back to supporting the center and were used to pay for renovations carried out in 2020. The floor plan has been changed and a central information desk has been installed.

The money will also be used to pay two full-time staff members, which is also a recent change. Before the pandemic, the center was run by volunteers.

In addition to the increase in sales, the number of visitors increased by 10% from 2022 to 2023. Cassies said he has been tracking visitor numbers since he started working at the center in 2007.

Just over 10,000 new visitors visited the center last year, for a total of 102,304.

There's no breakdown of numbers by state or country, but the map shows that the majority of visitors come from the Southwest and West Coast.

Cassies said people from these areas played a major role in increasing visitor numbers in 2021 and beyond.

“At that time, we had a lot of people coming from California, Phoenix, Las Vegas, because they didn't travel as far after COVID,” Cassies said.

He added that even though a lot of information is now available online, people are still forced to go see physical brochures and exhibits.

Cassies said another reason for the increase in visitors has to do with changes made to the visitor center.

In addition to brochures, the center also has six television screens, photographs, activity and restaurant guides, and miniature exhibits that highlight different aspects of Havasu.

Cassies said the visitor center's goal is to make information easy to access and fun, so that once people stop by, they'll learn more about what the city has to offer and want to come back. He said he was deaf.

“Tourism is incredibly important to everyone,” he added.

Going forward, the visitor center's high-level goals include focusing on information and customer service, as well as bringing more bespoke items to the shop. For more information about the center, please visit: www.golakehavasu.com/visitors-center.