Oro Valley outlines plans for new destination marketing organization, website and leisure travel study

Oro Valley staff told the town's new Tourism Advisory Commission that the town established its own destination marketing organization (DMO) in 2024 and is moving ahead with a leisure travel plan, a new visitor website and marketing systems to track and promote stays and events.

Crystal Frank, Oro Valley’s destination marketing manager, told commission members the DMO separated from Visit Tucson earlier this year and applied to the Arizona Office of Tourism to operate independently. “We are building a strategy that puts residents first while positioning Oro Valley as a destination that attracts the right visitors,” Frank said. She summarized work under way on a brand identity, an Explore Oro Valley website and a leisure travel plan being developed by CSL International.

The town began the transition in February 2024 and, Frank said, completed technical steps to operate as its own DMO in April. Staff purchased marketing and event platforms used to generate and track leads, including PlayEasy, Cvent and a Placer.ai subscription to analyze visitation and retail activity. Frank said the town also intends to maintain Explore Oro Valley as an interim visitor resource while a separate visitor-facing website is developed.

Paul Melcher, a town staff member overseeing commission logistics, described budget items and vendor contracts: a line item of $125,000 to support resorts’ meeting and familiarization (FAM) efforts, an initial web-development allocation and a consultant contract for the leisure travel plan. Melcher said the overall CSL International contract totaled about $154,000 plus travel expenses. He also said the DMO’s operating staff are accounted for in the town’s general fund — the DMO operates under the town umbrella and is not a separate 501(c)(3).

Frank summarized findings from resident outreach: more than 1,000 resident and part-time resident survey responses indicated locals value Oro Valley’s “scenic beauty, safety and outdoor recreation offerings” but also see gaps in dining variety, nightlife and cultural options. Frank said the team is balancing “practical steps” that can be implemented quickly with “transformational opportunities” that will require longer-term work.

Short-term tactics and projects staff flagged include refreshed Explore Oro Valley content, public-art tours, targeted sports-tourism outreach and cycling partnerships. Frank said the DMO has been working regionally with partners on cycling events including Project Echelon and the Tucson Bicycle Classic and that the new website will offer events calendars, lodging and dining listings, curated itineraries and a CRM to help track bookings and marketing outcomes.

Frank said Tempest, the branding vendor the town selected, will conduct a site visit the week after the meeting and present a formal brand identity in November that will include a logo, narrative, color palette and usage guidance. Frank said the vendor has local ties and will engage stakeholders in the work.

Commission members pressed staff on quantifying tourism’s current financial contribution and on how the DMO will coordinate resort group bookings with leisure-marketing efforts. Melcher said specific room-night and tax revenue figures are in the town budget and that staff would report back with more detailed numbers at a future meeting. He also said that tracking shoulder stays and conversions from group visits to leisure stays is a priority once the new website and CRM are live.

Staff framed the commission’s advisory role: the commission provides recommendations and community input on materials staff brings forward; agenda setting and formal transmittals to town council will continue to be staff-driven. Frank said stakeholder meetings and quarterly reporting on web KPIs will accompany the DMO’s rollout.

The presentation closed with an outline of near-term deliverables (leisure-travel study completion, November brand presentation, continued stakeholder outreach and phased website delivery) and an invitation for commission members to participate in branding and site-development briefings as the work progresses.