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Sedona tourism advisory board debates 'stewardship' vs. 'management' while reviewing 18‑month strategic plan
Summary
City staff and consultant Colleen Floyd presented an 18‑month tourism "placemat" that emphasizes stewardship, branding, community engagement and organizational capacity. Board members pressed for clearer destination management and stronger data measures before the plan goes to city council.
The City of Sedona—s Tourism Advisory Board reviewed an 18‑month draft tourism strategic plan on July 3, as staff and consultant Colleen Floyd outlined research findings and proposed initiatives focused on stewardship, branding, community engagement and strengthening the new tourism office.
"Protecting the environment and the transcendent nature of Sedona is absolutely paramount," Colleen Floyd told the board, summarizing stakeholder research that also highlighted transportation needs and the importance of a consistent brand. The consultant said the team conducted 19 stakeholder interviews, three in‑person listening sessions and reviewed resident and visitor surveys in developing the one‑page plan.
Andrew Grossman, the city—s new tourism manager, presented the plan—s vision and four imperatives: steward the destination, champion the Sedona brand, enhance community engagement with tourism, and strengthen the organization. Grossman described concrete initiatives, including an "always on" visitor education campaign, tools to encourage responsible use of public lands, a transparency dashboard to share tourism data, and marketing tactics to support businesses in off‑peak periods.
Board members broadly praised the concise "placemat" but pushed staff to clarify priorities and actions. One member said the plan seemed to bury destination management and predictive data analysis under broader imperatives and urged that those elements be made more prominent. "Is managing tourism a goal?" the member asked, pressing for explicit tactics to smooth peaks and valleys in visitation and for predictive analytics to guide marketing and operations.
Several members recommended stronger language and specific actions to involve neighborhood groups, civic clubs and volunteers, not just business organizations, in community engagement. "I would like local groups to be included," a board member said, calling for seasonally timed town‑hall meetings and clearer pathways for residents to participate.
Staff responded that the one‑page plan is intended as a high‑level accountability tool and that an accompanying initiatives tracker and Gantt chart will include the detailed action items and measurables. Grossman said staff will inventory existing data sources, streamline reports, and aim to publish a transparency hub so the public and policymakers can see monthly tourism metrics and progress on initiatives.
No formal vote was taken. Staff asked board members to provide redline comments on the spreadsheet of initiatives; they said they will incorporate feedback and complete a Gantt timeline before bringing a draft to the city council. The board set tentative future agenda items to review brand identity and a draft marketing plan.
The board closed the discussion with a request that edits be sent to staff rather than using reply‑all email threads, to avoid creating an inadvertent quorum.
The tourism office will return with a revised plan, a filled‑out Gantt chart and proposed measures; staff said a city council review is anticipated once those items are completed.
