Data Driven Snapshot Sedona Tourism Management

There is a lot to learn from performance-based and data-driven methodology. Data-driven strategies using Total Quality Management (TQM) tools develop world class organizations. Performance-based and data-driven methodology is essential for organizations, improving the efficiency and strategic decision-making.

What we have learned from the Tourism Government Models DMO Benchmark that governments use data-driven strategies to develop Tourism policies and programs in a systematic approach to analyze the data and removing any unseen biases, conflicts of interest or assumptions.

Removes any unseen biases, conflicts of interest or assumptions.

A data-driven strategy is based on collecting and analyzing data without it we are playing a guessing game. The better the data, the better the cities, governments make decisions. Data-driven metrics help form and develop targeted programs and policies. Today’s world we have all the tools for success with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at our fingertips.

Without a systematic approach that includes knowledge, data-driven, performance-based metrics with analysis leads us to
Opinion Based Decisions

Reviewing Understanding Tourism Dollars helps us use this approach in connecting the dots of City revenues and exactly what is the restricted city-bed tax.

What metrics do we have in place currently to review for Sedona Tourism?

Since the Sedona Chamber manages the tourism program for the city. The Sedona Chamber is not a government-agency the Chamber isn’t required to disclose anything to the public. All requests for information has been ignored by the chamber.

The public Documents used were the 2020 Sedona Chamber Tax Returns and an analysis of Chamber Membership.
I’ve be tracking the composition of the Chamber Membership beginning in 2013 when I was a member.

There isn’t any targeted in-city Tourism Study – Lodging Statistics report like The City of Scottsdale report. Scottsdale includes: Trends in Tax Collection, Room Inventory, Average Room Rates and Occupancy, Room Revenues vs. Total Hotel Revenues.

Reports types and data collection companies are listed in Tourism Data Stats Resources. Most cities subscribe to Smith Travel Research (STR)
STR’s competitive benchmarking where data driven reports on city lodging and competitive benchmarking are custom configured.

2022-23-Budget-infographic-data-Chamber-funding-update-2023-1 Download

The data driven and performance records show us:

Chamber Revenue consists of
- 89 % Public Funding (City of Sedona)
- 11% Dues & Events
Chamber Members consists of
- Short term rental management companies under Accommodations (vacation rentals)
- NON-Hospitality businesses like Realtors, construction, churches, individuals, associations & organizations
Chamber Membership Composition
- 29% In-City Hospitality (4% in-city bed tax collectors included in 29%)
- 71 % are non-city and or not in hospitality businesses
Chambers Members has declined by 61% since 2014
Potential impact costs of Chamber Funding
- $1,353 per City licensed Businesses (2022 city license report)
- $172 per residents
- $2,227 per Chamber Member
- $7,662 per each qualified in city hospitality business
- $55,674 per each in-city lodging facility including STR vacation rental chamber members

When we market through the Chamber all industries including STR Vacation rentals, realtors, construction and STR vacation home management are also marketed.

Let’s keep in mind these elements:

Learn from Four Arizona governments how they managed Tourism: https://donnajoys.com/tourism-government-models-dmo-benchmark
Understand more about Tourism City Taxes & usage https://donnajoys.com/understanding-tourism-dollars/
Review how AOT & Scottsdale use Data Driven Performance Metrics in https://donnajoys.com/tourism-data-stats-resources/
Connect the Dots and see the law on why the Sedona Chamber isn’t a Tourism Authority and can never be one. https://donnajoys.com/az-sports-tourism-authority-program-tracker/
How the State markets Sedona https://donnajoys.com/arizona-office-of-tourism/

Sedona Tourism
The City of Sedona’s Tourism Policy

Reflexing back on the City of Sedona odd tourism policy simply makes no sense. Anyone that spoke up was ignored. It wasn’t right, fair, and didn’t algin with state tourism policy or Arizona laws. Was the no-bid contract to the regional membership of the Sedona Chamber of Commence a conflict of interests and influencing the outcome of elections? YES, it was and the new relationship with chamber continues down that road.