Gov. Susana Martinez announces record-breaking year for tourism during a Monday press conference. Courtesy photoMonday, Gov. Susana Martinez announced yet another record-breaking year for tourism in New Mexico, with more people visiting the state than ever before.
In 2014, half a million more people visited New Mexico than in 2013, bringing the total number for the year to 32.7 million – an all-time high.
“Tourism is such a crucial part of our efforts to diversify the economy in communities large and small throughout the state,” Martinez said. “As we continue to shatter tourism records, it shows that our New Mexico True campaign is not only working – it’s a very strong success. By simply showing a true picture of our state, we’ve been able to attract more and more visitors, and they’re spending money in diners, art galleries, gift shops, restaurants, golf courses, ski basins, and various other small businesses in communities across New Mexico.”
In early 2012, the New Mexico Tourism Department unveiled the New Mexico True campaign, which promises tourists that they will experience “adventures steeped in culture” when visiting our state. In 2014, the New Mexico True campaign helped lead to an all-time high in what are known as marketable overnight trips, or leisure trips, demonstrating a 40.6 percent increase since 2010. These are the type of trips targeted by New Mexico True as providing the greatest boost to the economy.
“The primary focus of New Mexico True is increasing marketable overnight trips – trips influenced by marketing and advertising,” Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Latham said. “The increase in our advertising budget has allowed us to aggressively pursue those types of trips, resulting in New Mexico outpacing the five-year national average by 17 percentage points.”
Tourism continues to be a leader in job growth as well, with another 2,200 jobs added in 2014, which is an 8.4 percent increase since 2010. Also, 2014 marked an increase in instate day trips and overnight trips, the first upward trend for New Mexico since 2011.
“Through the New Mexico True campaign, we’ve seen incredible growth in awareness, interest, and visitation to the state,” Latham said. “The campaign highlights an incredible variety of outdoor adventures, cultural opportunities and culinary experiences that pique consumer interest, along with providing a unified brand message for the tourism industry. We’re excited to see the campaign evolve and continue to drive more travel throughout our beautiful state.”
