In my four years of working at the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, I witnessed some fantastic industry highs – Super Bowl XLII, for example – and some unfortunate lows like this recession. Between the economic downturn and the unintended effects of the AIG debacle, 2009 was a shaky-at-best year for Arizona tourism.

Yet as we entered 2010, there was a small shift in the attitudes and outlook of the industry and travelers. It was minute, but it was there. People began vacationing again; companies created marketing and sales plans that embraced the New Year – and “the new normal.” Proposition 200 passed in Scottsdale, raising bed tax collections and tourism funding by a fraction (though certainly not washing away all worry).

Peak travel season looked promising – many Valley hotels and resorts faced nearly sold-out status for much of March during spring training. Signature events enjoyed respectable levels of attendance. Restaurants stayed busy. Popular spots around the Phoenix area bustled again. We all knew it would take years for the industry to return to a strong status, but we knew we were on the right track.

Then, last month our governor signed SB1070 into law.

While we don’t know exactly how this bill will affect tourism in the long-term, some short-term results have certainly rolled in. Almost immediately, convention groups and individual travelers began canceling their plans to visit Arizona. Corporations and municipalities across the country started calling – and are still calling – for boycotts on all Arizona travel, business and goods. Meanwhile, New York and Florida actively positioned themselves as travel alternatives to Arizona.

Just as our state’s tourism industry was not responsible for a handful of corporate executives running amuck with federal bailout monies in 2009, it was not responsible for the development of this piece of legislation. Unfortunately, our tourism industry has been adversely affected by both – first experiencing unintended consequences of the economic backlash and again being used as leverage for a political issue with no direct tie to tourism.

No matter what your political affiliation, it is important to remember that tourism is a vital industry for our state. It not only brings money into our economy, but it also secures a lot of jobs. There’s no way to tell what the complete fallout will be, but what we should focus on – as an industry – is the fact that we are still the same hospitable, alluring and world-class destination that we’ve always been.

Visitors, friends, family, associations, and businesses – they’re all welcome here in Arizona. And they always will be.

The Arizona Hotel & Lodging Association, state office of tourism, local CVB’s and other statewide tourism partners are working together to handle customer inquiries and reactions to Senate Bill 1070. Here are a few things they want you to know:

• Thus far, the AzHLA is aware of 19 groups that have canceled meetings at Arizona resorts, business that would have brought more than $6 million to the state’s economy.
• AzHLA has created a Facebook page, Don’t Boycott Arizona Tourism, which you can join if you are so inclined.
• The organizations are working to create effective communication strategies for answering questions from residents and travelers alike. The most frequent asked question concerns the types of identification visitors need in the event they are asked about their immigration status by Arizona law enforcement officials. The answer: A valid driver’s license or passport – the very same identification they need now when traveling by airplane.
• The hospitality industry is making efforts to ensure visitors feel welcome in every city and town in Arizona.
• The American Hotel & Lodging Association, a national organization dedicated to promoting the value of the lodging industry, is keeping its annual Summer Summit in Arizona and showing its support of our state’s hoteliers and their employees by urging communities, like that of Washington D.C., to not boycott Arizona.