Industry Insider

Tourism Grant Applications are Now Open

Applications for the 2024 Tourism Grant Program are now open. The Tourism Grant Program is funded by the Albuquerque Tourism Marketing District and managed by Visit Albuquerque. The overarching goal of the program is to spark innovative ideas that contribute to Albuquerque’s vibrancy and build new, creative visitor and resident experiences that grow a more diverse and thriving tourism economy. For more information and to apply, click here. Applications close May 24.

Help Spread the Word About Resident and Visitor Surveys

Visit Albuquerque, working in partnership with industry, business and City leaders, is developing a Destination Master Plan for our community. The plan process is being led by the global tourism advisory group of JLL. This 10-year roadmap will strengthen Albuquerque as a thriving destination for leisure travelers, meetings and events while balancing the needs of residents, businesses and visitors. We need your help spreading the word about our resident sentiment and visitor surveys.

The resident sentiment survey can be completed by anyone living in Albuquerque. Please share the survey with anyone who would like to contribute their thoughts and opinions on the future of Albuquerque as a destination.

The visitor sentiment survey can be completed by anyone who has visited Albuquerque or is thinking about visiting Albuquerque. Any Visit Albuquerque Partner who often interacts with travelers can post this sign to inform patrons about the survey and encourage them to complete it.

Visit Albuquerque Attends Travel & Adventure Shows

Over the last two months, Visit Albuquerque staff attended Travel & Adventure shows in Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Dallas. We spoke with thousands of potential leisure travelers, encouraging them to add Albuquerque to their list of travel destinations.

These shows were a collaborative effort with Tourism Santa Fe, Visit Farmington, City of Roswell, Carlsbad, Visit Las Cruces and the Town of Red River.

Sunport, Visit ABQ and Hispano Chamber Promote Expansion of Air Service to Albuquerque

Visit Albuquerque recently teamed up with the Albuquerque International Sunport and the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce to encourage airlines to include Albuquerque in their plans for future route development. In March, the three organizations attended and exhibited at the Routes Americas Conference in Bogota, Colombia, where they met with network system planners for Avianca, Viva Aerobus, Volaris, AeroMexico, Allegiant, JetBlue, Southwest and other airlines. The team provided information about Albuquerque as a destination for tourism, meetings and business and answered questions about the Sunport renovation project, flight demand and gate capacity. Convenient flights are important to leisure and business travelers alike and key to growing Albuquerque’s appeal as a destination. Eight carriers currently provide service to the Sunport from more than 25 cities. In June, Sun Country Airlines will become the ninth carrier at the Sunport when it adds twice-weekly service between Albuquerque and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

JOINT MEDIA & SALES MISSION IN NEW YORK CITY

From March 26-28, several dozen travel writers and meeting planners in the New York City region attended an interactive dining experience that immersed them in the sights, sounds and flavors of Albuquerque. Attendees at each of the two lunches and three dinners were able to interact with motion-tracked images of Albuquerque projected onto their dining table while enjoying a meal prepared by Chef Marc Quiñones of Level 5 at Hotel Chaco. The projections and visuals, designed by Electric Playhouse, highlighted the city's beauty and authenticity and complemented each course of the meal. Throughout the event, Visit Albuquerque staff introduced attendees to the one-of-a-kind attractions, venues, experiences and heritage that make Albuquerque special. The event was designed to inspire travel writers to visit our city and write articles about the destination, and to encourage meeting planners to learn more about hosting a conference, convention or other group event in Albuquerque. A big thanks to our Partners for their support and dedication in making this mission a success!

VISIT ALBUQUERQUE HOSTS ROUTE 66-THEMED INFLUENCER TRIP

Visit Albuquerque hosted 12 social media influencers this past weekend for a “meet-up” focused on Route 66 in Albuquerque. The influencers were selected based on the quality of their content, number of followers and follower engagement. All of the attendees were from cities along Route 66, from Los Angeles to St. Louis to Tulsa. Each influencer is responsible for creating a minimum number of reels, stories and posts during and following the trip. While in Albuquerque, they dined, shopped and toured around the Old Town, Downtown and Nob Hill neighborhoods. The goal of the trip was to raise awareness about the Route 66 centennial in 2026 and build excitement among travelers now through the anniversary. The influencer meet-up was conducted in partnership with the New Mexico Tourism Department through its cooperative marketing program, with assistance from Simply Social Media and Visit Albuquerque Partners. We are grateful to our many Partners that helped ensure this group enjoyed their time in Albuquerque!

Visit Albuquerque Sales Team Attends Trade Shows

Visit Albuquerque Convention Sales Manager Dionne Hulsey recently attended the Destination Celebration in Kansas City. The event included over 100 meeting planners and 30 suppliers. There was a lot of interest in Albuquerque, with the potential for business in 2026 and beyond.

Visit Albuquerque’s Vice President of Sales, Services and Sports Scott Craighead; Mark Mares from Heritage Hotels & Resorts; and Cindy Martinez from Embassy Suites Downtown Albuquerque attended the Meetings Industry Council (MIC) Colorado March 26-27 in Denver. More than 932 meeting professionals from the Rocky Mountain region attended. At the Visit Albuquerque booth, Jesse Sansom with eVRgreen Arts provided attendees with a 360-degree virtual-reality experience of Albuquerque, including a VR ride in a hot air balloon. Visit Albuquerque made many key contacts, including the Education Commission for the States, Conference Direct and American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Visit Albuquerque’s Director of Sales, Services, and Sports Angie Jepsen and Senior Sports Development Manager Angela Gandy attended Connect Spring Marketplace in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 2-4. Angie conducted meetings with meeting planners representing associations and Angela met with sports event organizers. Over the three days, Angie and Angela each had 40 appointments. Also representing Albuquerque at Connect Spring Marketplace were Corporate Sales Manager Mark Mares and Senior Sales Manager Kara Woolsey with Heritage Hotels & Resorts.

Visit Albuquerque attended the Business Events Industry Week in Washington, D.C., April 8-11. Vice President of Sales, Services and Sports Scott Craighead participated in the Destinations International Sales and Services Summit, where he attended education sessions and peer-to-peer learning opportunities. He was joined by Heritage Hotels & Resorts National Sales Manager Tecla Tawonezvi for PCMA Showcase where Visit ABQ networked with D.C.-area meetings professionals. Visit ABQ met with dozens of D.C.-based organizations, including the American Society of Microbiology, American Alliance of Museums, American Political Science Association, National Defense Industry Association, National Academy of Engineering and the American Council on Education.

Visit Albuquerque’s interim Mid-Atlantic Sales Manager, consultant Laura Kesselman, CMM, recently participated in Conference Direct’s Annual Partner Meeting in Arlington, Texas, April 7-11. Beginning promptly after the eclipse, Laura connected with more than 30 associates. The gathering served as the yearly sales meeting for over 200 Conference Direct associates tasked with venue sourcing and planning thousands of meetings and events annually. Amidst individual appointments, a significant announcement highlighted Conference Direct's achievements in 2023, including securing $1.1 billion in hotel contracted revenue.

Albuquerque Goes Bananas for the Savannah Bananas

The Savannah Bananas, who gained fame for a unique style of baseball they call "Banana Ball," were in Albuquerque this past weekend and played two sold-out games at Isotopes Park. Visit Albuquerque partnered with the Isotopes to bring the team to Albuquerque, and more than 75,000 people entered a lottery for a chance to purchase tickets. Fans traveled from throughout New Mexico and from other states to watch the games. Visit Albuquerque built a special landing page on its website where fans could find lodging packages and discounts on meals and things to do. We also worked with the team to bring local cultural touches to their games in Albuquerque, which were livestreamed and shared on the Bananas' social media accounts. The Bananas have more than 15 million social media followers, more than any Major League baseball team. Visit Albuquerque also had a table on the concourse at the ballpark where we handed out game souvenirs and provided information about the city to visitors.