FAQs About the Albuquerque Tourism Marketing District

GENERAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DISTRICT

Q.    What is the Albuquerque Tourism Marketing District?

A.    The Albuquerque Tourism Marketing District (ATMD) is a coalition of approximately 150 local lodging properties that have organized efforts in order to increase demand for overnight visitation to our city. The ATMD provides additional funds to expand marketing of Albuquerque, enhance visitor services and develop destination assets. The ATMD will:

• Promote Albuquerque as a destination for leisure travel, meetings and sports events.
• Help Albuquerque compete against destinations with larger marketing budgets.
• Increase the number of overnight visitors to the city.
• Increase occupancy levels and room rates for the lodging establishments located within the District.
• Generate revenue for the city’s hospitality industry, retail sector, and arts and cultural sectors.
• Generate tax revenue for the city, county and state.
• Create jobs and diversify our economy.

Q.     How is the ATMD funded?

A.     The ATMD is funded through a 2% assessment on certain stays in lodging within the District boundary. The assessment supplements marketing funds provided by the 5% lodgers’ tax and the 1% hospitality fee. Even with the additional 2% ATMD assessment, Albuquerque remains below the national average for guest check-out fees. The assessment is paid by guests at check-out, increasing total fees on the guest’s checkout folio from 13.75% to 15.875%, as shown below:

Q.    How and when was the ATMD established?

A.    The ATMD was created under Article 63 of the New Mexico Business Improvement District Act, which allows for the formation of Business Improvement Districts. In accordance with this law, at least 51% of the lodging properties within the district boundary petitioned the Albuquerque City Council in early 2022 to create the District. At its March 21, 2022, meeting, the City Council unanimously adopted Ordinance O-22-14 to create the District, appointed a planning group, and appointed Visit Albuquerque as the management committee responsible for the operation of the District. At its May 16 meeting, the City Council ratified creation of the district with unanimous passage of Ordinance O-22-21 and approved collection of the 2% assessment beginning July 1, 2022. 

Q.    What are the ATMD boundaries?

A.    The District boundaries are the commercial areas of the City of Albuquerque, as shown in the map below. There are approximately 150 lodging properties within the District.

Q.    How will the money be used?

A.    ATMD funds will be spent on sales, marketing, communications, visitor services enhancements and destination development projects that directly benefit the assessed lodging businesses. The funds must be spent in accordance with the District Plan, and may include the following programs and activities:

• Advertising campaigns
• Media relations campaigns to gain positive coverage
• Social media campaigns
• Digital marketing efforts
• Creation of visual assets (photo and video)
• Trade shows
• Site familiarization tours
• Destination development projects
• Visitor services

Q.    How is the ATMD managed?

A.    Visit Albuquerque manages the operations of the ATMD, including all marketing and sales efforts, in accordance with a District Plan. A governing committee composed of representatives from lodging properties within the District provides oversight. The committee includes representatives from full-service and limited-service lodging properties.
           
Q.    Why is the ATMD managed by Visit Albuquerque?

A.    Visit Albuquerque already has the staff, infrastructure and operations in place, which means a high proportion of ATMD dollars goes directly and immediately toward new marketing and sales efforts rather than toward administrative costs.
 
Q.    What responsibilities does the City of Albuquerque have for the ATMD?

A.    The City is responsible for collecting the assessment fee monthly from each lodging business located in the District.
 
Q.     How long will the ATMD be in effect?

A.        The initial period will be for five years. Prior to the expiration of the initial term, the City Council will review the outcomes of the ATMD and determine whether it should be renewed for an additional five-year term.

Q.    Have other cities established tourism marketing districts?

A.    Tourism marketing districts are used by more than 190 destinations in 19 states, including by more than 100 cities in California alone.

QUESTIONS ABOUT FEE COLLECTION, REPORTING AND PAYMENT

Q.    How much is the ATMD assessment fee?

A.    The ATMD assessment fee is 2% of gross room rental revenue. The fee applies to all stays at lodging properties located within the ATMD boundary except the following:

• Stays of more than 30 consecutive days
• Stays by any person to whom rent is charged at the rate of $2 per day or less
• Stays at institutions of the federal government, the state or any political subdivision
• Stays at religious, charitable, educational or philanthropic institutions, including summer camps operated by such institutions
• Stays at clinics, hospitals or other medical facilities
• Stays at privately operated convalescent homes or homes for the aged, infirm, indigent or chronically ill
• Stays at short-term rentals

Q.    How do I collect the ATMD assessment fee?

A.    You may pass the fee along to overnight guests. The amount of the fee must be stated separately from the room rate and any taxes, such as lodgers’ tax. Your folio should identify the fee as the “Tourism Marketing Benefit Fee” in a separate line item on each guest’s folio. A sample folio is shown below.

Q.    How do I report and submit the Tourism Marketing Benefit Fee?

A.    The fee must be reported monthly to the City of Albuquerque using the same form that you use to report and submit lodgers’ tax and hospitality fees. The form is found in the City tax collection portal, albuquerque.munirevs.com. If you have further questions about reporting and submitting the fee, please contact Cilia Aglialoro, Treasurer for the City of Albuquerque, at 505-768-3309.

QUESTIONS ABOUT PARTNERSHIP WITH VISIT ALBUQUERQUE

Q.    What is Visit Albuquerque?

A.    Visit Albuquerque is a private, nonprofit organization that stimulates economic growth by marketing Albuquerque as a top-tier destination for leisure travel, meetings and sporting events. Visit Albuquerque conducts advertising, media relations and digital marketing campaigns to attract tourism; operates two Visitor Information Centers; and recruits sports events, conventions, trade shows and other group meetings to the city. The organization is funded primarily by fees paid by overnight guests, including the Tourism Marketing Benefit Fee and a portion of lodgers’ tax and hospitality fees. It also receives about 9% of its annual revenue from private investors, known as Partners, who pay dues in exchange for membership benefits that promote their businesses to visitors.

Q.    Is my lodging property a Partner of Visit Albuquerque?

A.    Yes, if it is located within the Albuquerque Tourism Marketing District. All lodging properties within the ATMD boundary automatically became Partners of Visit Albuquerque as of July 1, 2022. 

Q.    How are my property’s dues paid?

A.    Each property’s annual partnership dues is automatically paid from funds collected through the ATMD. You will not be invoiced separately for dues. If your property fails to remit its Marketing Tourism Benefit Fee to the City of Albuquerque as required, your partnership benefits will be suspended.

Q.    How are Partner dues calculated?

A.    For lodging properties, the annual dues amount is calculated based on a formula that takes into consideration the number of rooms at the property, its distance from the Albuquerque Convention Center, and whether the property has on-site meeting facilities.

Q.    Why was partnership extended to all ATMD lodging properties?

A.    Visit Albuquerque wanted to ensure that all lodging properties within the District receive: 
Partner benefits, including marketing exposure to visitors
News about current marketing campaigns, sales efforts, travel trends, and other updates about the hospitality industry
Opportunity to network with other Partners at Visit Albuquerque events and establish business-to-business relationships

Q.    What benefits does my property receive as a Partner?

A.    A partial list of benefits includes:

• Ability to create a customizable listing on Visit Albuquerque’s website, visited by more than 250,000 users each month. You may include the following information in your listing:
  • Property description, up to 750 characters (roughly 100 words)
  • Up to 10 photos and a video
  • Information about guest amenities
  • Interactive map
  • Links to your website and social media pages
  • Links to Yelp and TripAdvisor reviews
• Ability to post your coupons and packages on Visit Albuquerque’s website, including seasonal promotions and special offers.
• Subscription to our monthly “Industry Insider” e-newsletter and "Partner Connection" e-newsletter, which is sent exclusively to Partners and contains updates on Visit Albuquerque’s initiatives, destination news and business-to-business information.
• Access to high-resolution photos of Albuquerque to use in your marketing materials.
• Opportunity to participate in site visits, fam tours and media visits as applicable, based on the needs and interests of the meeting planners or media who are visiting.
• Opportunity to integrate your property’s reservation system with our online booking engine, Book>Direct.
• Access to convention calendars.
• Ability to receive leads from meeting, sports and group tour planners, as applicable. (Planners direct the distribution of leads at their discretion based on criteria such as location, rate, amenities available, and other factors.)

Q.    How do I create a customized listing on the Visit Albuquerque website?

A.    Fill out this form to provide a description about your property, including the guest amenities you offer. Travelers use this information to help plan their trips. If you want to link your property’s reservation system to our online booking engine, be sure to use the form to let us know. No commissions or fees are charged for this service.

Q.    How do I add photos of my property to my online listing?

A.    Email your photos to Listings@VisitABQ.org. Photos must be high resolution and a minimum size of 1200x1200 pixels. Square photos work best, but we can crop and size photos for you.

Q.    How do I add a 360-degree tour of my property to my online listing?

A.    For an additional fee, Visit Albuquerque will capture and post a 360-degree tour of your property to your listing. The tour includes images of the exterior, main entrance/lobby, up to two representative guest rooms, up to two representative meeting spaces or ballrooms, and the restaurant/lounge or other dining area. The fee is $750 for each tour added after July 1, 2022.

Q.    How do I list my property in the Visitors Guide publication?

A.    You may purchase a listing for your property in the Official Albuquerque Visitors Guide, a printed publication that is distributed to more than 150,000 travelers annually. An order form will be provided to you to purchase a listing each year, or you may contact Mary Brown, our Partner Sales Manager, at 505-222-4310 or brown@visitabq.org. The annual listing fee is $500. 

Q.    How do I place a display ad on the Visit Albuquerque website or in a Visit Albuquerque e-newsletter?

A.    For information about paid advertising opportunities in Visit Albuquerque media, contact advertise@visitabq.org.