Blog / CHAMBER, COMMITTEE LAYING GROUND WORK FOR GILBERT TOURISM
Tags
GIlbert Arizona, Gilbert hotels, Gilbert kiosks, Gilbert San tan Mall, gilbert tourism, places to go in Gilbert, tourism in gilbert, visit gilbertFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2010
CHAMBER, COMMITTEE LAYING GROUND WORK FOR GILBERT TOURISM
Kiosk System, Marketing Basic Strategies of Groups Five-Year Strategic Plan
GILBERT – Gilbert residents and tourists will have a new tool at their fingertips with the recent launch of the community’s first kiosk system and other tourism-related materials to promote the town’s many amenities.
Five tourism kiosks have been installed in locations including the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, the Gilbert Historical Museum, Hampton Inn, the SanTan Legado Hotel and the food court at SanTan Village. The touch-screen, paperless kiosks feature categories such as Where to Stay, Where to Eat, What to Do and Community Resources and can be updated by paid advertisers in real-time to promote current pricing and specials.
“With the installment of these kiosks, we are taking the visitors’ center into the community,” said Kathy Tilque, president and CEO of the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce. “We are hoping that the locations at which these are installed and the content that is available will serve as a convenient tool to communicate all the great things that Gilbert has to offer.”
This past year, the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce formed the town’s first official Tourism Committee. The group, which includes representation from three of Gilbert’s hotels, Big League Dreams, Higley Center for the Performing Arts, Banner Gateway and Mercy Gilbert Medical Centers, San Tan Village, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and others, meets each month to identify a five-year strategic plan and set priorities for immediate action. The Committee also has included the town of Queen Creek in their efforts.
“Many members of the committee come from larger markets and can offer the experience we need to guide the direction we hope to go in and what we hope to avoid,” said Kristy Vargas, Director of Sales at Hyatt Place Phoenix/Gilbert. “We realize we won’t get there tomorrow but we’ve made a lot of progress in a short time with a limited budget.”
In addition to the installation of tourism kiosks, the Chamber has published and distributed its first tourism map highlighting different areas of interest and recently launched visitgilbertaz.com, Gilbert’s first tourism website. The Chamber also partnered with the Mesa Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and the Town of Queen Creek to launch visitgateway.com, a landing site that is marketed to different regions throughout the country.
“Just a few years ago, tourism was not much of a consideration,” said Tilque. “We offered a small visitors’ center but didn’t have much to offer in the way of lodging or shopping. That has changed and we are shifting our efforts from relocation to tourism rather quickly.”
The Chamber hired a part-time intern to support the committee’s efforts, manage the kiosk program and visitors’ center and conduct research to support the strategic plan.
“Gilbert has a lot of potential as a tourism destination, from tourists visiting family to professional conferences,” Tilque said. “We want to lay the ground work now for our future. We want to work closely with the town to shape Gilbert’s tourism industry.”
To learn more about the Chamber’s tourism efforts, including the tourism kiosks and website, contact the Chamber at (480) 892-0056.
The Gilbert Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit, membership-based organization with more than 550 members ranging from home-based businesses to large corporations. The Chamber proactively serves as a business advocate to strengthen the business climate in Gilbert. To learn more about or join the Chamber, please contact (480) 892-0056 or visit www.gilbertaz.com.
###