WILLCOX — Arizona Office of Tourism is traveling the state, conducting the Discovering Arizona Listening Tour, and during a stop in Willcox on Friday, April 26, Director Lisa Urias said the purpose to refresh the brand of the state.
“The intent, really, is to ensure that Arizonans own the narrative,” Urias said. “That we’re proud of what we say to the rest of the world, about who we are, what we love about Arizona and what we want them to know.”
The tour brought together a number of people with a vested interest in Willcox and Graham County, including farmers, wine makers, art directors, small business owners and tourism volunteers.
They were asked a series of questions, including:
- What makes you proud of your community or Arizona?
- What is surprising about your region to others?
- What upsets you about the perception of your community?
- Where would you take someone who is visiting your community?
- What color or smell comes to you when you think of your community?
Most of the answers offered by the participants centered around people, especially how people help each other, regardless of the economic sector in which they operate.
“I think the most, maybe, inspiring thing that I am discovering, that we are all discovering, is how much people love their communities,” Urias said. “How tied they are to the land that they live in, to the people that they are living with, and how connected they are to one another.”
Despite multiple stops in Cochise County, the Willcox stop was the only chance for Gila Valley residents to have input, as the Office of Tourism currently has no plans to stop in either Graham or Greenlee county.
According to the Office of Tourism website, tourism generated $28.1 billion in visitor spending statewide, resulting in $3.98 billion in tax revenue.
