May 30, 2018

The face of tourism is changing around the world, and more communities are taking steps to manage the visitor experience.

The Sedona City Council and the Chamber are adapting, too.  Our tourism strategy is in the midst of a thorough review with the principles of ‘Sustainable Tourism’ in mind.

Sustainable Tourism is part of the global change we are seeing and aims to achieve an economic, cultural and environmental balance that preserves Sedona’s beauty and livability.

After listening to community concerns about traffic and tourism, including the concerns of the hundreds of local businesses that comprise the Chamber, our Board agreed to partner with the ASU School of Sustainability, a nationally-recognized leader in helping communities achieve economic and environmental equilibrium.  The rapidly-developing Sustainable Tourism Plan will help us work together, monitoring and adjusting the balance between a thriving tourist economy and its effects on Sedona’s traffic, natural environment and sense of community.

The plan will be ready this fall, but we are already making adjustments. As you may know, in June the Chamber will formally request that the City Council budget NO additional Tourism Bureau funding for FY19, although an amount $268,900 higher than last year’s is scheduled.  Instead, we are asking Council to consider using the money to supplement the budget for transportation improvements that begin late this year.

We also decided that as we anticipate a new, sustainable tourism strategy, we will not market Sedona inside Arizona this summer.  We think this aligns well with our newly-adopted mission statement:  Serving Sedona by making it the best place to live, work, play and visit.

Also in June, we will report to Council on our FY19 Sedona Reinvestment Plan, aimed at developing better tourism management infrastructure, such as enhanced shuttle service.

I hope you will continue sharing your thoughts and allow us to keep you informed as the new mission and changing direction of the Chamber and Tourism Bureau unfolds. It will be an exciting journey!

Please consider opting in to receive our weekly newsletter –  a brief report on what we are doing to hear all voices and help achieve a sustainable, balanced, beautiful Sedona together. You can sign up here.  Feel free to contact me directly at any time.

Thank you for joining us in caring about Sedona and our future.

—Jennifer Wesselhoff, President/CEO

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