'Toast to Tourism' Launch Party

 





National Geographic and Sedona Verde Valley Tourism Council to Introduce Sedona Verde Valley Geotourism Website with 'Toast to Tourism' Launch Party Nov. 12 @ 6:PM
Travelers seeking unspoiled places and culturally authentic experiences now have a valuable new resource in a comprehensive Geotourism website for the Sedona Verde Valley region. The landmark project has taken two years to plan and execute and is a historically significant asset for everyone who visits or lives in the region.
 
Local residents were asked to contribute suggestions of places to visit in the area and useful travel advice. This created the content for this remarkable site that celebrates everything special and unique about the Verde Valley.
 
The Geotourism website highlights the spectacular landscapes and diverse people of north central Arizona. It is designed to showcase to local, national and international audiences the natural, cultural and historic attractions that define the region. Sedona, Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Camp Verde, Jerome and The Yavapai Nation are all part of this exciting project.
 
A 'Toast to Tourism' celebration to launch the website and mark this partnership between National Geographic and the Sedona Verde Valley Tourism Council to promote sustainable and quality tourism will take place Nov. 12 at The Blazin' M Ranch in Cottonwood. There will be entertainment by The Jerome Ukulele Orchestra, The Blazin' M Band and Tres Rios Chicas. Doors open at 6 p.m. and, after a champagne toast and brief presentation, the festivities will continue with food, cash bar and entertainment. The keynote speaker is James Dion, director of tourism programs, Maps Division, National Geographic Society. All sites and attractions that were nominated and are featured on the website are invited to attend and receive their certificate of participation from the National Geographic Society.
 
National Geographic's acclaimed mapmaking and sustainable tourism expertise helped produce the Geotourism website along with Verde Valley Chambers of Commerce and local business leaders.

The Sedona Verde Valley website:
 

• Is one of only 22 Geotourism programs worldwide
• Showcases many of the 283 plus sites nominated by local residents
• Is a resource designed to improve local, rural economic development
• Provides access to a niche national market of 'geotravelers'
• Will grow with the addition of hundreds of more sites and events
• Highlights the resources of the region encompassing a major portion of north central Arizona
• Provides a long-term resource for promoting Sedona and the Verde Valley to the nation and the world.