Tourism Planning focused on the overall picture of tourism,from its present state to its promise, in Apache Junction. The students in this course evaluated Apache Junction’s strengths, weaknesses,opportunities, and threats based on community engagement and literature-based research. Results included that its outdoor attractions(Superstition Mountains, Canyon Lake, Lost Dutchman State Park) and nearby events (Renaissance Festival, Lost Dutchman Days Rodeo) are some strengths. Weaknesses include lack of coherent brand, lack of funding dedicated to tourism and tourism-related infrastructure, and shortage of restaurants and lodging to support short-term visitors.Building upon these results, the students determined that ApacheJunction needs a strong tourism brand, and should consider targeting the adventure tourism market. They presented three strategies, including increasing overall social media activity (as adventure tourists are largely a younger demographic), developing uniform marketing campaigns, and collaborating with other Arizona tourism organizations to cross-promoteApache Junction as an Arizona destination.
Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.
Project Cities Contact Info
Steven Russell
Program Manager
steven.russell@asu.edu
480-727-2698
University Faculty Contact
Evan Jordan
School of Community Resources and Development
Assistant Professor
Evan.Jordan@asu.edu
Local Government / Community Contact
Matt McNulty
Community Relations
mmcnulty@ajcity.net