Latest news with #VisitAlbuquerque
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amid economic uncertainty, New Mexico's tourism businesses 'cautiously optimistic' for the summer season
May 18—Tammy Stevenson and her coworkers from Virginia were curiously examining shelves full of alebrijes — colorful Mexican folk art sculptures or figurines — at Oaxacan Zapotec Traditions in Old Town on Wednesday when shop worker Havana Gallegos explained, "They're like a spirit guide." "I'm trying to find the goofiest one," Stevenson, 54, said before telling Gallegos it was a conference that brought them to New Mexico. "We absolutely love it," Stevenson said. Stevenson is among millions of tourists who visit the state each year. Tania Armenta, CEO of Visit Albuquerque, said tourism is "a vital economic driver" for Albuquerque, contributing more than $2 billion and 45,000 jobs to the local economy. However, the organization and tourism-based small businesses across New Mexico are anticipating a slower summer season compared to years past — a development they attribute to increased competition across destination hotspots and economic uncertainty. According to recent hotel stay data from Visit Albuquerque, hotel occupancy for the first quarter of 2025, January through March, was down by 3% compared to the first quarter of 2024. Economic uncertainty was a theme in data presented in a recent National Small Business Association report, showing that nearly two-thirds of small businesses say it is the top challenge their business is facing. Periods of economic uncertainty have historically pushed consumers to spend less, though data and research in recent years show consumers are increasingly spending more, even as inflation continues and proposed tariffs under the Trump administration pose many unknowns. But while they're spending, consumers are being pickier with their purchases and aiming to get more bang for their buck. Such is the case for George Cook, owner of Old Town's Covered Wagon souvenir shop, and Nancy Ouimet, owner of Santa Fe's Canyon Road Contemporary Art gallery. The two say visitor numbers seem to be on track as this tourism season gets underway, but visitors are gripping their wallets a little tighter than usual. "I do notice that people are buying lower-priced products. They're not spending big amounts of money," said Cook, who owns numerous tourism-based businesses in Albuquerque, Clines Corners and Taos. "They're still buying goods, but they're watching their money a little closer." Ouimet, who has owned the Santa Fe gallery for 15 years, said she's seeing a similar trend. Some people are still buying art, but "nobody is actually making purchases that are larger than, say, $3,000," she said. With gallery pieces priced from $50 to $50,000, Ouimet said visitors are happy to talk about the art, but few are making luxury purchases. "Visiting numbers are on par with what we had last year, but sales are way down," Ouimet said. Jesse Herron and Mike Silva, co-owners of TourABQ, said they expect the uncertainty to have more prolonged effects for their business' tourist season, which spans April through October — particularly for international travelers. "People are not going to be coming to America to take tours if they don't feel welcome, and they don't," Silva said, referencing strong immigration stances under the Trump administration. "We've definitely seen that already, and it's going to continue throughout the rest of the year," Herron added. Herron's prediction aligns with recent data estimating that the United States may lose $12.5 billion in travel revenue in 2025. The data, released by the World Travel & Tourism Council, shows that visitor spending in the U.S. is estimated to fall to under $169 billion by the end of the year, a 7% drop from last year. TourABQ is the parent company of many local tourism-based businesses, including ABQ Trolley Co., Albucreepy Ghost Walk, Duke City Pedaler and ABQ in a Box. While international visitors account for roughly 10% of tours offered by TourABQ, Silva said their international customers usually spend more and leave reviews more often than domestic tourists do. "The best years we've ever had as a company have been when we've had huge international tourism numbers," Silva said. "... Even if they were 10% of our ridership, that's 10% that's now kind of gone." In order to fill seats that otherwise would have been filled by international riders, the owners have implemented a new business strategy for this season: reviving and boosting tours geared toward locals and domestic tourists. While the owners are "cautiously optimistic" about this season, Herron said, how long they've been successful in business gives them confidence heading into this tourism season. "We're just going to continue to do what we do, which is showcase the best of what Albuquerque has to offer ... and just hope that people are still anxious to get out and see this city," Herron said. Armenta said Visit Albuquerque and the state's tourism department have many resources and tools available for supporting tourism-based small businesses, adding that she encourages business owners involved in the visitor economy to plug into those offerings. "We know how important this industry is to our community and (our) focus (is) on resilience as we move through this year," Armenta said. Business owners say the state's tourism economy hinges on two important actions: shopping local and sharing the city's experiences with friends and family. "The best way to be reminded what an amazing community that we live in is to get out and about and to be a visitor in your own community," Armenta said.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Yahoo
New $30K website unveiled as city gears up for Route 66 centennial celebration
Feb. 18—The city of Albuquerque unveiled a $34,000 website with a countdown to the Route 66 centennial celebration and a list of related events in the lead-up to the momentous occasion. The website was announced Tuesday to a room packed full of officials and community leaders inside the city's Route 66 Visitor Center, which has struggled to consistently keep its doors open since a ribbon cutting in 2022. In 2026, Albuquerque will celebrate the 100th birthday of its main thoroughfare, U.S. Route 66 — one of the country's first highways. The event took place outside city limits on the second floor of the unopened center, a project that's been decades in the making and has snowballed into an over $13 million cost. An opening date for the center has still not been given, but back in October, the Journal was told the center would be running by May. The new website cost $34,000 to develop, according to Brenna Moore, spokesperson for Visit Albuquerque. It features a countdown to 2026 and will eventually have a list of centennial-related events. "If you drive down Central Avenue, it really is a hop, skip and a jump away from everything. If you can just visualize getting off the interstate, coming to the visitor center, going down the hill," City Councilor Klarissa Peña said. Peña, who has long advocated for the center that sits just outside her district, thanked members in attendance from the Hispano Chamber and West Central Community Development Group for their participation in the project, including former West Central Community Development President and her husband, Johnny Peña. As the centennial creeps closer, Mayor Tim Keller spoke on the excitement for the visitor center to open and the local challenges facing the historic highway. "We have this facility, and we have it just in time to fully utilize as the headquarters for the centennial," Keller said. "Now that you're all here, I think you can see why it is the absolute perfect spot. It is also something, by the way, no one else in America has." However, there are other Route 66 visitor centers across the country, including ones in Texas, Illinois, Missouri and one in Kansas that — like New Mexico's — is listed as temporarily closed. "We also want to do what we can to try and clean up Route 66 in all sorts of ways, and obviously that means things like crime-fighting and that sort of thing, which we're going to try and do as best we can," Keller said. Preparations for the celebration come at a time when local law enforcement is targeting the historic highway, which in certain corridors has become synonymous with homelessness and open-air drug use. New Mexico State Police, the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office and District Attorney Sam Bregman announced "Operation Route 66" during a news conference Monday. The operation seeks to crack down on crime in the International District. In October, the Albuquerque Police Department said dealing with the use of fentanyl and other hard drugs along Central was its top priority. Additionally, the city's encampment abatement policy shifted in December to prioritize and target tents and carts set along Central. The previous policy listed children's parks and community centers as the areas of most crucial concern. However, the mayor's office denied the change had any correlation to the upcoming centennial celebrations. "The recent revision was a routine update to our citywide encampment policy. Since we took office, we have focused on Central," Staci Drangmeister, a spokesperson for Keller, said in a statement.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Albuquerque officials provide update on 2026 Route 66 centennial celebration
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – KRQE News 13 got a closer look at what the Route 66 centennial celebration will look like. On Tuesday, city officials, Visit Albuquerque, and the Department of Arts and Culture provided an update on the plans to celebrate the 18-mile stretch of historic Route 66 for its 100th anniversary. I-25 southbound lane closing overnight for pothole repairs Some of the plans include an event website, immersive art installations, and even augmented reality experiences. 'We have a beautiful sign that has been on this end of the city, and by 2026, we're gonna have another big beautiful sign on the other side of the city welcoming people here,' said Director Shelle Sanchez, New Mexico Department of Arts & Culture. City officials also hope to revamp more business signs along Route 66 before the centennial. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
