Organization interviews 10-year-old Arti Shaterian from California after he shares love for city in school essay; proclaims him Junior Tourism Ambassador for Visit Albuquerque
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – (July 21, 2020) – Visit Albuquerque has declared 10-year-old Arti Shaterian a Junior Tourism Ambassador after learning that his love for the city was the topic of a recent essay he wrote for school. (His essay titled “Why You Should Go to Albuquerque!” was included in an article by Joline Gutierrez Krueger in the July 9 print edition of the Albuquerque Journal, which can also be found online.)
Arti’s essay details all the things he loves about Albuquerque, with particular mentions of Blake's Lotaburger, Hinkle Family Fun Center and Cliff’s Amusement Park, and the wide array of outdoor adventures he enjoys when he visits his grandparents, who live in the city. “Nice views? SIGN ME UP! (and hiking too), yes, yes, and YES! You can never go wrong with hiking in Albuquerque… And the views, well that’s a whole different story!” wrote Arti.
Arti’s enthusiasm did not go unnoticed by Visit Albuquerque, the organization that promotes the city for tourism, meetings and sports events. The organization reached out to his parents to schedule an interview. When asked why he chose Albuquerque as the subject of his essay, he said, “I’ve just been there a lot of times, and every time I’ve been there, I’ve just had so much fun.”
“This was such a fun story to read in the newspaper,” said Visit Albuquerque President & CEO Tania Armenta. “We loved seeing Albuquerque through the eyes of this passionate 10-year-old, and we are glad for the opportunity to connect and declare Arti the first Junior Tourism Ambassador for Visit Albuquerque.”
During the interview Arti was also awarded an official Visit Albuquerque proclamation as Junior Tourism Ambassador, a gift card to Blake’s Lotaburger, passes to the ABQ BioPark and Sandia Peak Tramway, and an Albuquerque Isotopes T-shirt. In addition, Mayor Tim Keller issued a certificate of appreciation to Arti on behalf of the City of Albuquerque. A video of the interview was also shared on Visit Albuquerque’s social media channels.
“We thank the Albuquerque Journal for sharing Arti’s enthusiasm for the city, and Arti for making our city the topic of his essay. It helps to uplift and inspire both our community and other Albuquerque aficionados, and it also reminds us of the power of connection and travel,” said Armenta.
About Visit Albuquerque
Visit Albuquerque is an accredited destination marketing organization (DMO), and a private, not-for-profit organization [501(c)(6)]. The mission of Visit Albuquerque is to stimulate economic growth by marketing Albuquerque as a convention, sports and visitor destination. For more information, go to VisitABQ.org.
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