19th Hole

Jeremy Hayman
General Manager
Sedona Golf Resort
Sedona, AZ
http://www.sedonagolfresort.com

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SB 1070’s Impact on Tourism

Unless you have been on a walk-about through Australia’s outback for the last 3 months you have probably been inundated with the media’s coverage of Arizona’s new Immigration Law SB 1070. This bill is such a heated topic that the leaders of other Cities and States have decided to ask their constituents to punish Arizonans by boycotting our beautiful state.  Unfortunately, many companies and leisure travelers have heeded their calls and have canceled their respective conventions and vacations. This has already cost Arizona businesses tens of millions of dollars in revenue. As for golf, many of my colleagues and I have already seen a very significant reduction in Resort rounds since May. There are countless other travelers making plans now that will never even consider Arizona as a choice, which will impact our economy for years to come. The trickle down effects are a significant loss in tax revenue when we need it worse than ever. Additionally jobs will be lost, hours will be severely cut, and benefits will, yet again, be slashed.

If you oppose this law, please remember over 30% of hospitality employees are Hispanic and by boycotting you may be hurting the very ones that you are fighting for. If you support this law, I ask that you please do not retaliate by boycotting these other cities and states when choosing a travel destination. The simple fact of the matter is that, although the law does have significant support, POLITICIANS voted for this bill and POLITICIANS called for boycotts, but those that work in the tourism industry and their families will be paying the price.

There is no doubt that our U.S. Immigration model needs to be fixed but whether you support or oppose the law SB 1070, I simply ask that you do not boycott people’s livelihoods. Make your travel arrangements based on what the destination has to offer and not on a politician’s sound byte.