ALBUQUERQUE, NM (KRQE) – Visit Albuquerque says tourism revenue dropped around 80% during the pandemic. However, those numbers are bouncing back after the city showcased itself to millions.
“People were ready to get out and about and have new experiences, and we definitely benefited from that,” said President of Visit Albuquerque, Tania Armenta.
After being stuck at home for months during the pandemic, people were ready to travel again. Visit Albuquerque wanted to lure those travelers to Albuquerque by launching a million-dollar marketing campaign.
“We wanted to be sure that Albuquerque was going to be able to really capitalize on that travel demand. Thankfully those additional dollars made that really possible for Albuquerque, and our performance over the last year has certainly benefited,” said Armenta.
Tania Armenta says the ads on billboards, commercials, and social media reached nearly 590 million people, setting a new record. Armenta believes a number of things are drawing visitors in. That includes the art, culture, cuisine, museums, and recreational activities the city has.
“One of the things we benefit from is just really that combination of history mixed with the new offerings and that makes for a really special vacation here,” Armenta said.
According to Visit Albuquerque, the city sees more than 6 million visitors in a typical year who contribute more than $2 billion to our city. It says the city has fully recovered from last year to this year.
Hotel occupancy rates rose to more than 65 percent. Their revenue per available room was up 10% at more than $67. Business owners say they are seeing an increase in visitors. Tourism supports approximately 45,000 jobs in Albuquerque.
“More so in the last 6 months, I would say we’ve seen an uptick in new faces and new people coming down to check out what we have to offer,” said the Manager of Noisy Water Winery in Old Town, Amanda Rozelle.
While others say they saw some setbacks this summer due to the high gas prices and wildfires scaring away visitors. “Here in Old Town, we do have a significant increase in tourism during the summer months. As far as the summer of 2022, it was a little bit on the light side,” said Robert Lameres, the owner of Dancing Crow Gallery.
Santa Fe has also seen tourism surge. Their hotel occupancy went up 15%, with prices going up about $42 on average per room.
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