Tourism Promotion

The amount of money state government devotes to tourism promotion probably will always lag our neighbors. Spaceports are more exotic, after all, though tourism touches every corner of the state. Every so often the industry puts together an effort to keep New Mexico, well, a little less behind (my words, not the industry's). New Mexico spent about $2.9 million for tourism promotion during the 2006-07 fiscal year, according to an industry study reported by David Miles in a July 22 article in The New Mexican. Miles reported that "Texas ranked fourth with a $15.2 million budget, Colorado fifth at $14.7 million and Arizona eighth at $11.4 million, the study said."
Tourism doesn't just happen. It is promotion driven. The industry plans a new proposal in the 2008 legislative session for additional promotion money. A pitch for a five percent cut of tribal gaming concession payments didn't fly this year.