Prescott, Arizona Supports National Travel & Tourism Week with Local Tourism Awareness Plan
The City of Prescott will engage in a wide range of activities for National Travel and Tourism Week from May 6-12. These efforts are in support of Arizona’s travel and tourism industry, specifically for Prescott by the Prescott Tourism Office.
The Prescott Tourism Office is the official destination marketing organization for the city. The Tourism Office works to assist tourism stakeholders in the effort of continuously raising awareness about the destination, ways to explore, shop, dine, play and stay longer. Each year, the Tourism Office creates a marketing and public relations plan to showcase the community year-round.
Tourism in Prescott is not just for weekend visitors. Tourism for Prescott means sports tournaments, business meetings, events, educational sessions, retreats and more. All of these activities bring visitors to Prescott and develop tax revenue for the city. By working with area stakeholders including hotels, bed & breakfast locations, restaurants, attractions, shops, galleries, outdoor assets, museums, and more, the Tourism Office is able to showcase the entire area and the opportunities waiting to be explored.
On May 7, the Tourism Office invites everyone to the Official Visitor Center at the Prescott Chamber of Commerce for the unveiling and launch of the Heritage Trail at 11:00 a.m. The Heritage Trail is a self-guided tour exploring downtown Prescott, historic gems of the area, and links up with the expansive hiking and trail system throughout the city. The Heritage Trail was created last summer as a new way to explore Prescott and is now ready to be showcased. All are invited to the unveiling and ceremonial kick-off of the Heritage Trail, May 7, 11:00 a.m., at the Official Visitor Center. Heritage Trail maps will be available at the Official Visitor Center, 117 W. Goodwin St., for locals to be a “Tourist in Your Hometown” and experience the trail.
Travel is a $2.3 trillion industry in the U.S., with $990.3 billion in direct travel related spending in the U.S. by domestic and international visitors in 2016. In Prescott, Northern Arizona University (NAU) completed a visitor study within the last 3 years and some of the result highlights include, $267 million in direct visitor spending producing a total economic impact of $340 million, in 2014 plus $100 million in labor income and $46 million in federal, state and local taxes.
Local employers, businesses, and employees are encouraged to thank visitors all week long May 6-12, encourage even greater customer service and share favorite travel ideas in Prescott. City Manager, Michael Lamar shared, “National Travel & Tourism Week, and more locally, Arizona Travel & Tourism Week, is our chance to share with visitors and the community our gratitude for making Prescott a part of their travel itinerary. We’re very excited to launch the Heritage Trail during this special week of recognizing how important travel is to our local economy and hope everyone can come out and celebrate with us. We welcome everyone to experience Prescott and find out why so many people return year after year. Prescott is a destination we proudly invite all to experience.”
National Travel & Tourism Week, Arizona Travel & Tourism Week takes place May 6-12. Visit the U.S. Travel Association’s website for complete travel and tourism updates, statistics, reports, and Travel & Tourism Week details www.ustravel.org/toolkit/national-travel-and-tourism-week. Follow the week’s activity in Prescott on the official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/visitprescott and visit www.visit-prescott.com for calendar information.