Tourism commission approves FY27 sales and marketing plan with modest KPI and budget tweaks

The Discover Flagstaff Tourism Commission voted unanimously to approve the fiscal year 2027 sales and marketing plan after three targeted amendments to staff recommendations.

Commissioners agreed to lower the aspirational visitor‑center average length‑of‑stay target from the plan’s earlier draft (which presented a higher target) to 2.3 days, a small increase from the current 2.2 days. During discussion a commissioner characterized the larger increase in the draft as “quite unreasonable” for a single year given market headwinds and urged a more achievable key performance indicator. Staff responded that the change does not alter ongoing tactics to increase overnight stays, only the numerical target used for reporting.

The commission also approved reallocating $35,000 from the film production line to the earned‑media budget, with staff saying earned media would likely yield broader visitation impact. Separately, commissioners approved a one‑time $8,000 request to support a Flagstaff‑focused local promotion to help engage residents and amplify tourism messaging.

The motion as read into the record included the KPI adjustment (2.2 to 2.3 days), the $35,000 film‑to‑earned‑media reallocation, and the $8,000 one‑time local promotion. The item passed by unanimous voice vote.

What the vote means: the commission endorsed staff’s plan and narrowed one KPI and shifted modest budget amounts to prioritize earned media and a local campaign. The approval does not by itself change staff tactics beyond the funding realignment; staff said they will continue previously planned marketing activities and will report progress against the revised KPI in monthly materials.

Next steps: staff will incorporate the amendments into the final FY27 plan documents and include the revised KPI and budget line items in the monthly reporting packet distributed to commissioners.