Discover Flagstaff creates synergy between visitors and residents … – Arizona Daily Sun

DISCOVER FLAGSTAFF

Discover Flagstaff is accredited by the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) of Destinations International. As a certified Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) Discover Flagstaff works with intentional design to understand and create synergy between the resident and visitor through responsible visitation marketing. It is an honor to tell the Flagstaff story and project our community values, Discover Flagstaff Director Trace Ward said.

The official tourism bureau, funded by the Bed, Board, and Beverage (BBB) tax, is Discover Flagstaff and operates as a section in the City of Flagstaffs Economic Vitality Division. The mission of Discover Flagstaff is to increase visitation and visitor spend through responsible marketing, advertising, direct sales and other programming. This is done by utilizing data-driven strategies and tactics which inspires and motivates year-round visitation benefiting the community economically and socially. Tourism is the citys number one industry and economic driver. In fiscal year 2022, BBB tax generated $11,446, 072 in revenue for an unprecedented post-pandemic increase of 26.5% and 75% of all Flagstaff Airport enplanements are visitors. According to the Arizona Office of Tourism Economic Impact Study, tourism provides economic stability to the community with an annual real tax savings of $738.00 per household.

People are also reading

Traditional accommodation metrics, for occupancy and average daily rate (ADR) from July 2022 through February 2023, reported by Smith Travel Report (STR) continue to show strong and healthy performances. Discover Flagstaff has taken a holistic approach to marketing our mountain town and continues to educate and engage the public on responsible tourism while promoting all things that make Flagstaff a special place to visit.

The connection of tourism, economic vitality, and economic development work together. For example, the Visit-Discover-Grow program, takes visitation to the next level by investing in the Flagstaff community economically. Are you aware that in 1964 Bill Gore visited Flagstaff with his family to experience hiking in Flagstaffs beautiful Ponderosa pine forests and was captured by areas natural beauty? W.L. Gore & Associates is a major employer in Flagstaff. The W.L. Gore products help people around the world from firefighters to outdoor enthusiasts, commuters to cardiac patients with the belief in the natural, human capacity to solve problems in creative ways. Flagstaff is a great place to live and visit as well as a great place to start a business.

Discover Flagstaff connects visitors and residents in multiple ways, one of which is ecotourism. Ecotourism is any form of visitation that focuses on traveling to natural environments with a mission to learn about and ultimately help protect those environments. The Discover Flagstaff Pledge for the Wild (PFTW) program is all about responsible visitation and giving back to our community to keep Flagstaffs wild places wild. This public education effort is for both locals and visitors to keep our destination beautiful, sustainable, clean and educate responsible trail use while hiking, tree bathing, stargazing, wildlife watching or biking. The program benefits the local non-profit Flagstaff Trails Initiative with trail management and it is easy to participate simply text WILD4FLAG to 44321 with a donation. Adding more strength to PFTW, Discover Flagstaff is adding a new dimension Flagstaff Trails Passport -- in May 2023 which adds another level of awareness and further encourages participation of responsible recreation to preserve Flagstaffs beauty. The Flagstaff Trails Passport is designed to easily and conveniently select trails from a multi-agency procured list to help manage trail congestion, while also providing an opportunity to earn great prizes. These trails are assigned points based on level of difficulty, with easy trails assigned 1 point, moderate trails assigned 2 points, and difficult trails assigned 3 points. The first 400 people that earn a cumulative of at least 10 points allows Discover Flagstaff to make a one-time donation (in the trail users name) to the Flagstaff Trails Initiative (FTI.) The Flagstaff Trails Passport is an excellent guide to adventure and pairs perfectly with Pledge for the Wild. Get the free Flagstaff Trails Passport launching May 7 -- at discoverflagtaff.com and win prizes!

Discover Flagstaff was recognized two years in a row with Arizona Governors Tourism Awards for the fire awareness campaign and Pledge for the Wild program. Destination stewardship efforts are ongoing with stay and play responsibly campaigns regarding winter recreation, trails less traveled, to respect private property, be fire aware, leave no trace, protect dark skies, tackle trail trash, stick to trails, plan ahead, prepare and have an alternate plan in order to appreciate Arizona. Flagstaff offers sustainable stay and play options at eco-friendly attractions, restaurants, hotels, tours and breweries.

Discover Flagstaff also recognizes businesses annually for outstanding ecofriendly programs and the 2022 Sustainability Award winners are: High Country Motor Lodge, Flagstaff Area National Monuments and High Country Conference Center. Discover Flagstaff is accepting nominations for an excellence in Sustainability Awards for eco-friendly practices in the categories of accommodations, restaurants/bars and attractions. To submit a nomination(s) the process is simple - provide a 500 word description explaining why the sustainability practices of the tourism business demonstrates an outstanding commitment to help benefit our community, visitor, and environment.

Nomination must include the following information:

Email nomination(s) to Jessica Young, Sales and Marketing Manager: Meetings and Events, at jyoung@flagstaffaz.gov. Winners will be announced at the Annual Stakeholder and Partner Meeting.

Innovation, inspiration, and education continue to be the driving factors Discover Flagstaff uses to motivate travel to our destination responsibly and is actively working on three Visit Arizona Initiative (VAI) grants awarded for astrotourism, gastronomy and responsible visitation. Flagstaff has a rich history of astronomy and is one of the best places on the planet for stargazing! Flagstaff is the worlds first international dark sky city, home to the discovery of Pluto and all the astronauts that walked on the moon trained in Flagstaff. It is amazing to walk downtown at night and see the Milky Way or get a closer look through high powered telescopes at Lowell Observatory only a few minutes from downtown. Flagstaffs food scene as a culinary mecca continues to evolve with creativity, forward-thinking chefs and is Arizonas leading craft beer city. This mountain town offers abundant opportunities to tempt your taste buds. Flagstaff received culinary honors from the James Beard awards with Chef Christian Lowe of Shift Kitchen & Bar as a 2023 James Beard finalist in the Emerging Chef category, Proper Meats + Provisions as an Outstanding Restaurant 2023 semifinalist and Chef Rochelle Daniel of Atria as a semifinalist in the 2022 Emerging Chef category! A James Beard Award in the food world is equivalent to an Oscar in the movie world.

Did you know -- National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) is May 7-13, 2023? This year marks the 40th anniversary of NTTW celebrating the industrys critical role in powering economies, communities and connections moving travel forward. Discover Flagstaff has nuanced the week as National Eco-Tourism Week for an eco-friendly localized twist. Nuancing the weeks festivities by adding a strategic spin, locally the celebration will be named National Travel and Eco-Tourism Week. Please join Discover Flagstaffs tourism service day scheduled on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. RSVP to attend by emailing to Carrie Nelson at cnelson@flagstaffaz.gov.

The Discover Flagstaff goal is to keep Flagstaff relevant, collaborate with community partners, and support locals while marketing attractions, accommodations, restaurants and events with all the things to see and do while visiting encouraging tourists to stay and play responsibly. Learn more at discoverflagstaff.com and the Flagstaff Visitor Center (1 E. Rt. 66.)

Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Original post:

Discover Flagstaff creates synergy between visitors and residents ... - Arizona Daily Sun