Letter to the Sedona City Council and Business Community

Sedona, AZ — In Sedona, Arizona, the city is actively seeking applicants for five critical positions on the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB). This volunteer board was established to guide tourism planning, visitor management, and foster regional cooperation.

But we must now ask a hard question: Is TAB genuinely effective, or is it merely a bureaucratic facade that allows city leadership to avoid tackling Sedona’s tourism challenges head-on?

TAB could play a meaningful role in enhancing the visitor and resident experience—by focusing on trail access, transportation, and community integration. Yet when it comes to marketing Sedona’s $1 billion tourism economy, TAB is not equipped to succeed. A volunteer advisory board cannot deliver the professional strategy required to compete in today’s crowded global marketplace.

The consequences are already visible: dwindling summer visitor numbers, soft fall bookings, and the absence of a unified and compelling message about Sedona. The business community is feeling the strain.

It is time to act decisively. We must redefine TAB’s role:

• TAB’s focus should be community engagement, visitor management, and improving the Sedona experience.
• Marketing must be entrusted to seasoned professionals who understand tourism trends, digital campaigns, and destination branding.
• A new marketing coalition—made up of hotels, tour operators, and the Chamber of Commerce—should be established to lead outreach, unify messaging, and eliminate redundancy.

Sedona’s economy cannot afford confusion or fragmentation. Clear roles are essential: TAB enhances the visitor experience, the Chamber manages visitor information, and lodging/tourism businesses lead marketing.

We urge:

• Residents: Step up and apply for TAB positions. Your voices are vital in shaping visitor management and community priorities.
• Business leaders: Demand that the city manager create a joint marketing initiative led by hotels, tour operators, and the Chamber.
• City leadership: Empower TAB to play to its strengths, while entrusting marketing to professionals who can deliver results.

If Sedona unites behind this strategy, we can restore confidence, strengthen our economy, and protect what makes this city unique. We must move forward with collaboration, clarity, and consistency—ensuring Sedona remains not only the most beautiful place on Earth but also one of the best-managed destinations in the world.

The challenges facing our community are real. The time for action is now.

By Steve Segner