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Goodyear formalizes Office of Tourism, wins Arizona Visitor Information Center status
Summary
The city created an Office of Tourism (effective July 1, 2025) and secured designation as an Arizona Visitor Information Center; staff plan to leverage Prop 302 funds for spring-training and sports tourism promotion and will seek a dedicated tourism position and marketing budget through the FY27 process.
Wendy Bridges, GoodyearEconomic Development Director, told the council Jan. 12 that the city has established an Office of Tourism to coordinate destination marketing and that the state's designation scheme has approved Goodyear as an official Arizona Visitor Information Center.
Bridges said the office was created on July 1, 2025 as a division of Economic Development and that staff did not request additional FY26 budget funds; instead, the office has leveraged existing Prop 302 funds (a car-rental surcharge and a 1% hotel tax in Maricopa County) to program tourism promotion for FY26, with a heavy emphasis on spring training and sports tourism.
Why it matters: Bridges said Goodyear aims to capture more overnight stays and visitor spending by focusing on small-group meetings, sports tourism at the Goodyear Ballpark and other venues, and improving visitor infrastructure such as wayfinding and signage. She recommended developing a consumer-marketing function, building a tourism data dashboard, creating a dedicated marketing program and hiring a tourism position, with any position and budget requests to come through the FY27 budget process.
Bridges described stakeholder engagement (roundtables with hotels, the Arizona Office of Tourism, lodging associations and local venue partners) and recent outputs, including an expanded dining brochure for hotel guests and a tourism roundtable that meets quarterly. She announced Goodyearreceived approval as an Arizona Visitor Information Center and said the city would next work with state staff on the operational requirements.
During Q&A councilmembers asked about tracking short-term rentals (Bridges said bed-tax metrics capture stays under 30 days) and how the city can prepare for a major commercial draw such as Buc-ee's; Bridges said the office is already discussing signage and wayfinding to capture visitors who may stop at Buc-ee's.
Next steps: staff said website development and a new dining brochure are in progress, with a tourism website expected by the end of the fiscal year and any staffing or budget proposals to be reviewed in the FY27 budget process.
