One of the biggest economic benefits of Congressional designation of the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area will be a boost to heritage tourism and nature tourism in southern Arizona. This is already a major industry here: The Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates that tourism currently impacts the economy of Tucson and eastern Pima County by $1.8 billion a year, and supports 40,000 jobs. Local governments also greatly benefit from the taxes generated by tourism. A 1997 study by the University of Arizona showed that, from tourism-related taxes, Pima County collected $9.9 million and the City of Tucson collected $12.3 million during the 1995-1996 fiscal year.

Heritage tourism and nature tourism are the cornerstones of this regional tourism industry. The same University of Arizona study determined that the topmost tourist attractions in the Tucson region are nature and heritage destinations, which are also visited repeatedly by large numbers of local residents. The Arizona Office of Tourism reports that the number of visits to the two national parks (Saguaro, Tumacacori) and three state parks (Catalina, Patagonia Lake, Tubac Presidio) in the proposed Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area totals about 1.2 million annually. Sabino Canyon and Pima County's Tucson Mountain Park each have more than 1 million visits a year, and the mission of San Xavier del Bac is visited about 300,000 times a year. The Arizona Office of Tourism ranks nature tourism as the fastest growing type of tourism in the state.

In terms of their expenditures and total economic impacts, these are some of the most desirable kinds of tourists. According to the Report on Cultural and Historic Tourism by the Travel Industry Association of America in 2001, visitors to historic sites stay longer and spend more money than other kinds of tourists. A 2002 study by the University of Arizona concluded the same things about ecotourists in southeastern Arizona, and estimated that the total economic impacts (direct, indirect, and induced) of visitors to the top two birdwatching sites in the upper San Pedro Valley ranged between $17 and $28 million in 2001.

"Birding" is the major nature tourism activity in southern Arizona, but the diverse landscape of this region, including lush desert vegetation, cool canyons, and forested "sky islands," also offers many other nature experiences. However, the Santa Cruz Valley is also a cultivated landscape, and another growing tourist industry in the region is "agricultural tourism." The Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan estimates that "pick your own" orchards and farms attract as many as 10,000 to 30,000 visitors per farm during the harvest seasons. Also increasing in popularity are farmers markets and tours and festivals at wineries in the Sonoita and Elgin areas.

For heritage tourists, the region has many interesting archaeological sites and historic buildings, neighborhoods, and communities ranging from ruins to ghost towns to stunning restorations. The church at San Xavier is widely considered to be the most outstanding example of Spanish period architecture in the United States, and the mission at Tumacácori National Historical Park, established by Father Kino in 1691, is the oldest in Arizona (although the currently standing church dates to the early 19th century). The park at Tumacácori is in the process of expanding significantly, and the nearby Tubac Presidio State Historic Park is now complemented by the interpretive trail through the Barrio de Tubac Archaeological Preserve maintained by the Archaeological Conservancy. The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail along the length of the Santa Cruz River is being marked and developed segment by segment, as funding is obtained. The de Anza trail and the chain of Spanish period missions and presidios down the Santa Cruz Valley form a unifying heritage theme, one which will link the rebuilt mission and presidio in Rio Nuevo's Tucson Origins park to its larger historical context.

The region also has a number of accessible Old West ghost towns and mining camps, ruins of military forts built soon after the Civil War, and well-preserved Territorial period ranch houses. Important examples of historic ranch buildings are being restored at the new San Rafael Ranch State Park, Empire Ranch, Canoa Ranch, and Posta Quemada Ranch. Tourists and residents interested in the prehistoric cultures of this area, the earliest dating back to at least 12,000 years ago, can already see the remains of a Hohokam village and ballcourt at Romero Ruin in Catalina State Park. Soon they will also be able to visit the new Julian Wash archaeological park interpreting a Hohokam village near the I-10/I-19 interchange, and learn about Tucson's 4,000-year history of continuous settlement and agriculture at the Tucson Origins park.

Heritage tourism also takes many other forms in the region. A growing number of ranches offer ranch-living and round-up tour packages, attracting many tourists seeking an authentic experience of working and living on a real Western ranch. Many bed-and-breakfasts are located in historic buildings, adding to their appeal as alternative lodging. Guided photographic tours of ghost towns and prehistoric rock art sites are also available. The new National Heritage Area could maximize the potentials for heritage tourism in the region by identifying sets of destinations, events, foods, musics, crafts, and lodging related to each other in terms of heritage themes (i.e., Spanish and Mexican, Native American, American Frontier, Western Ranching, etc.).

The regional economic growth resulting from designation of a National Heritage Area can be enormous. The Path of Progress National Historic Route in southwestern Pennsylvania experienced a doubling of the annual economic impact of tourism in the ten years following designation, and both the average length of visits and the average amount spent by each tourist more than doubled. Based on the performances of other National Heritage Areas, we can expect that designation of a Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area will strengthen the regional economy through increased tourism, job creation, and stimulation of public and private partnerships for new investment opportunities.

One of the biggest benefits of increased heritage tourism and nature tourism will be preservation of the region's unique character. A challenge will be to ensure that these kinds of tourism do not destroy the very resources that attract visitors in the first place; success of the new National Heritage Area will based on a balance between preservation and promotion.

Prepared by Jonathan Mabry, October 2003
Center for Desert Archaeology