Discover Flagstaff: South Rim decline smaller than full‑park figures; staff examines reporting methods

Heather Craig, marketing operations coordinator, reported at a Discover Flagstaff Tourism Commission meeting that Grand Canyon visitation figures vary substantially depending on which park entrances are included and offered updated year‑over‑year comparisons. "This is the first month this year that we are actually in the green… it’s 1.8% over what we saw in 2024," Craig said, and she noted that using South Rim only changes a previously reported 19% decline to an 11% decline.

Why it matters: commissioners said consistent reporting will help the destination better understand local impacts from recent wildfires and shifts in international travel. Discover Flagstaff staff and commissioners discussed whether to publish the total park entrances figure or emphasize the South Rim numbers because the South Rim is the entry most closely tied to local visitation.

Details: Craig presented monthly visitation graphs that initially used all Grand Canyon entrances (South, Desert View, and others) and then provided a South Rim–only comparison after staff were asked for the narrower view. Craig said her source for the all‑entrances data is the National Park Service reports and that she added the South Rim breakout on request: "I just took the South Entrance out just as a comparison… it really wasn't difficult." Meg Rotor, global sales manager, said national park visitation overall is down and cited a national trend: "National parks are down about 1.5%." Commissioners and staff tied the local declines to two factors cited during the meeting: decreased international visitation and the Bravo fire affecting access to the North Rim.

Discussion and next steps: Commissioners encouraged keeping a holistic view of visitation while also keeping the South Rim comparison available for partners who want the narrower metric. Staff said they will continue to include both presentations in reports and can provide the breakdown in future slides on request.

Ending: Commissioners did not take a vote on changing the official reporting method; staff will continue to provide both the all‑entrances and South Rim breakouts and to bring follow‑up data as requested.