Industry Insider

December 2025

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As another calendar year comes to a close, we want to extend our gratitude to all of our Partners for helping promote Albuquerque and welcoming visitors into the city and through your doors. We can’t wait to work with you in 2026 to continue our mission.

Albuquerque has been privileged to host the New Mexico Bowl at University Stadium for the past 20 years. Make the Isleta New Mexico Bowl part of your extended holiday celebration on Saturday, Dec. 27, for an exciting match-up between the North Texas Mean Green and the San Diego State Aztecs.

We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year.

Thank you for being a valued Visit Albuquerque Partner!

News

Get Your Tickets for the Isleta New Mexico Bowl

Exciting college football action will kick off at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 27, as the University of North Texas Mean Green and the San Diego State Aztecs take the field for the Isleta New Mexico Bowl. Visit Albuquerque will be at the pregame Fan Fest with giveaways and a tethered hot air balloon, and we’ll be inside the stadium taking souvenir pictures inside our larger-than-life photo frame. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN and include two commercials from Visit Albuquerque. Let’s help pack University Stadium with an enthusiastic and energetic crowd. Get your tickets today!

Watch a Webinar on the 2025 Balloon Fiesta Performance

Watch a recording of the webinar, hosted by Visit Albuquerque on Tuesday, Dec. 9, examining the local hospitality industry’s performance during the 2025 ExxonMobil Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Learn more about this year’s attendance and lodging occupancy compared with trends from the past decades. We also shared key findings from our latest visitor survey, offering a clear profile of who attends Fiesta and what drives their experience.

Sales Team Attends Connect Winter Marketplace

Senior National Sales Manager Misty Jester traveled to Washington, D.C., to represent Albuquerque at the Connect Winter Marketplace Dec. 1-3. During the three-day event, Misty engaged with more than 50 meeting planners from the Washington, D.C., region through a series of structured networking events and pre-scheduled one-on-one appointments.

Misty's participation provided a valuable platform to present Albuquerque as a premier destination for future meetings and conventions. By highlighting the city’s evolving infrastructure, diverse cultural offerings and capacity for hosting large-scale events, she was able to effectively elevate Albuquerque’s visibility within a key market. Misty’s engagement contributed meaningfully to the strengthening of relationships with industry partners and the cultivation of new business opportunities that support Albuquerque’s continued growth as a leading meetings and conventions destination.

View the Albuquerque Area Business Perception Study

A recent local study by Research & Polling and the Economic Forum Collaborative confirms that Albuquerque's business community has a clear mandate and the public's strong trust to lead the region's economic revival. The study reveals near-unanimous resident support (96%) for economic growth and a high trust factor, with 72% of residents trusting businesses to do what is right for the community. Crucially, the public welcomes greater business leadership, with only 15% feeling businesses have too much influence over government and legislation.

However, this goodwill comes with a clear challenge: significant performance gaps exist between public expectation and perceived delivery, particularly in improving community well-being and providing job skills (the largest gaps identified). These results provide a strategic roadmap, calling on the business community to not only proactively close these performance gaps through direct action but also to align collectively to advance a unified policy agenda and hold lawmakers accountable for creating a more business-friendly environment that benefits the entire community. Read more in this piece by the Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board and Community Council.

Albuquerque Skyline at Sunset cropped

The Economic Forum Collaborative (of which Visit Albuquerque is a member) is actively working to align business leadership and resources to achieve this goal. See this two-page summary of the research findings.

The Economic Forum Collaborative is a committee composed of the leaders of Albuquerque’s official economic development organizations and multi-industry business associations. The Collaborative is committed to elevating the standing of Albuquerque’s business community. Its mission is to drive collaboration and cooperation among its members and other community influencers and stakeholders to improve their collective impact on the local economy, fostering positive, non-partisan, and pragmatic change.

Search Underway for Next CEO of the New Mexico Hospitality Association

The New Mexico Hospitality Association, a 501c(6) membership association that represents the state’s hospitality and tourism industry, is recruiting an individual, an association management company or a contracted provider to fulfill the duties and functions of a Chief Executive Officer. The role oversees the full scope of the NMHA’s operations, including strategic and financial leadership, day-to-day management, external relations, advocacy, member services and association governance. Ideal candidates will have experience in management of nonprofit or membership associations, producing events, leading advocacy campaigns, budget development and reporting, and membership recruitment and retention. Interested parties should review the full job description and apply by submitting a cover letter and a CV, resume or other supporting materials by Jan. 5, 2026, to ceo@newmexicohospitality.org.

Be a Part of Albuquerque Restaurant Week

Albuquerque Restaurant Week is coming up in April 2026, and restaurants and hotels can participate! Restaurants will feature special prix fixe menus (fixed-price, multi-course meals) that allow diners to experience signature dishes while discovering new favorites. Albuquerque Restaurant Week is a great opportunity to attract new diners, showcase culinary creativity and gain exposure through the New Mexico Restaurant Association’s collaborative marketing efforts, including social media promotion, press outreach and local media partnership.

Restaurants can register a single location for $695 ($495 for NMRA members). Each additional location costs $495 ($295 for NMRA members). Hotels can offer special room rates for Albuquerque Restaurant Week visitors for $100.

Prepare for the Route 66 Centennial with Revamped ACE Training

Visit Albuquerque’s Albuquerque Community Experience (ACE) training program is designed to brush up your employees’ customer service skills and strengthen their knowledge of the city. With the upcoming Route 66 Centennial in 2026, ACE training classes now have more content to help your employees be prepared to celebrate and answer questions about the centennial.

Graduates will be recognized as Albuquerque Community Experience professionals and will receive a complimentary Community Experience pass that allows each of them and one guest to visit attractions throughout the Albuquerque area. The value of each ACE experience pass is more than $500! All ACE attendees from now through the end of 2026 will also receive a free Route 66 Centennial branded T-shirt! Make sure your team is ready for visitors coming to Albuquerque to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Mother Road.

Don’t miss your chance to attend an upcoming class:

Jan. 14, 2026
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Embassy Suites by Hilton ABQ
1000 Woodward Pl. NE, 87102

The cost is $25 per person for Partner businesses and $40 per person for non-Partners. Snacks will be provided along with water and coffee. To register, call Trish Hathoot at 505-908-8178 or send an email to TKHTrainingABQ@gmail.com.

NOMINATE AN EXCEPTIONAL HOSPITALITY WORKER TO BE RECOGNIZED

Visit Albuquerque is spotlighting local hospitality workers who have provided exceptional customer service. We are looking for hospitality workers who have gone above and beyond in the industry and who go to great lengths to be the best ambassadors for Albuquerque. Fill out this form to nominate someone for recognition. You’ll be asked to briefly describe why the individual is exceptional. Help celebrate hospitality excellence!

Upcoming Meetings and Sports Events

In January 2026, about 10,100 people will participate in or attend meetings and sports events booked and supported by Visit Albuquerque. These events will generate an estimated $2.7 million in direct spend. Some of the noteworthy events include:

Dates	Group Name	Est. Attendance	Meeting Location
Jan. 10-11	New Mexico Youth Soccer Association State Cup u12-14 - Round 1	2,376	Mesa del Sol Soccer Fields
Jan. 16-22	International Association of Government Officials Mid-Winter Conference	110	Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown
Jan. 17-18	New Mexico Youth Soccer Association ECNL Regional League - 3	1,426	Mesa del Sol Soccer Fields
Jan. 19-23	Accredited Certifiers Association, Inc. Training	225	Hotel Albuquerque
Jan. 23-24	UNM Track & Field Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Indoor Track Invitational	1,120	Albuquerque Convention Center
Jan. 24-25	New Mexico Youth Soccer Association MLS Next-3	1,426	Mesa del Sol Soccer Fields
Jan. 26-29	Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association 2026 Institute	500	Hotel Albuquerque
Jan. 30-31	UNM Track & Field UNM Team Open	1,520	Albuquerque Convention Center
Jan. 31-Feb. 1	New Mexico Youth Soccer Association GA Leagues-2	1,426	Mesa del Sol Soccer Fields

Bolded events are citywide events, defined as events that require a minimum of 400 room nights on peak, and will take place across the city. Although each of these events takes place in one part of town, the people who attend them will visit businesses throughout the city for shopping, dining and entertainment.

Let's come together to make their stay memorable, showcasing the best of Albuquerque’s hospitality. Your welcoming spirit can contribute to a positive experience for these visitors and foster a lasting impression of our community.