Acknowledging that Arizona has developed a serious image problem because of its tough new immigration law, Gov. Jan Brewer and tourism-industry leaders said Thursday that they will launch a new effort to stanch the flow of lost trade and convention business in the state.
The legislation and firestorm of negative publicity that followed brought calls for boycotts, moved groups to back out of local conventions and led several cities to cut business ties with Arizona companies.
The loss of business is critical in a recession-battered state vitally dependent on visitor spending.
“It’s up to us to get the truth out there. This is impacting Arizona’s face to the nation,” said Brewer, who blamed the controversy on misconceptions about the law.
A new task force is charged with rebranding and repositioning the state as a unique destination spot.
To date, dozens of cities and groups have announced boycotts. Arizona has lost at least 30 to 40 meetings and conventions, she said.
Stopping the boycotts is a top priority because [officials] are worried about the approximately 200,000 hotel workers, restaurant employees and others who could lose their jobs if the industry can’t find a way to lure new business here.
Officials were just starting to see signs of life when the backlash over the new immigration law began, said Debbie Johnson, CEO of the Arizona Tourism Alliance and the Arizona Hotel and Lodging Association.
“We’re hearing from our sales people in the hotels and resorts, that people aren’t returning their calls anymore – that they don’t even want to talk to Arizonans,” she said.
Greg Miller, vice president and managing director of Destination Hotels and Resorts, which manages the Royal Palms Resort, Tempe Mission Palms and the Wigwam Resortcalled the opportunity to take action and respond to the boycotts “exciting.”
“There has been a gross misunderstanding of what this bill is about,” he said.
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http://dailycaller.com/2010/05/15/arizona-...
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Saturday, May 15th 2010 at 1:22PM
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