SAFFORD — Graham County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Vance Bryce said he’s looking for “diverse opinions from all over the map” when it comes to tourism.
The chamber is accepting applications to be a member of the Gila Valley Tourism Council.
“We need people to come to four meetings a year — so once a quarter — to look at our strategic plan, to look at our budget, to look at our marketing strategy, and to keep a watch over us,” Bryce said.
Bryce said the chamber had a “robust Tourism Council” in previous years, but the council has been dormant of late.
“You can’t just, as a chamber director or a tourism director, make some choices and run with them, spend money in far away markets without consulting your stakeholders, without having a board of some kind, a panel, a council in this case, a tourism council that oversees where those funds go,” Bryce said.
Transit occupancy tax — also known as bed tax — charged on hotel stays in Safford and Thatcher is designated to fund tourism efforts overseen by the chamber. Safford has a 5 percent bed tax, while Thatcher levies a 3 percent bed tax.
Bryce said extending that tax to Air BnBs would also allow for Pima to have greater participation in tourism direction and marketing.
To apply to be a member of the Gila Valley Tourism Council go to https://bit.ly/2RefULV.
