Arizona Highways Magazine Boosts State Tourism
In April 1870, seven nuns left their convent in Carondelet, Missouri, on a mission to the Wild West and headed for Tucson, in the Arizona Territory. Traveling through difficult terrain and facing continual threats from Indian raids, they pioneered by rail, covered wagon, and boat. When the sisters arrived in Arizona, they “nearly drowned, suffered from heat and fatigue, and saw the graves of many settlers who had been killed by the Indians.” Settling in Old Pueblo, they opened a school a few days later, and by 1880 they had opened St. Mary’s Hospital, the first in Arizona.
These nuggets of Arizona history are sprinkled in from time to time in Arizona Highways Magazine, but most of the content deals with more contemporary topics, like special issues on photography, hiking, best places to eat, weekend getaways, and family adventures. . The writing style is fresh and insightful, as you would expect from a native. Always memorable, the backdrop to these stories is stunning photography selected by the art director from a trove of submissions by a remarkable group of photographers.
Attracting tourists is worth it
And therein lies the secret of the magazine’s success. Circulation has grown to 150,000 dedicated subscribers from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. About 60% are in-state residents and 40% live out of state. While publisher Win Holden is pleased, members of the state legislature, under which the magazine sits, are more enthusiastic about the 37.4 million tourists in 2008, a significant increase from the 35.2 million in 2007. A 2005 study attributed $35 million in tourism revenue each. year to publication.
Arizona Highways is a self-supporting publication that receives no state funding. And Holden plans to keep it that way. He has redesigned the organization, saving approximately $600,000 per year, and hired and retained a top-notch management team.
a new dynamic
Whether you want to read about the Old West “rootin, tootin and shootin” or the contemporary spectacles of tourists hiking the Grand Canyon, you’ll find it all as you flip from issue to issue. These stories do not unfold by chance. Publisher Robert Stieve has brought a new dynamic to publishing with disciplined planning at the heart of the process. The staff is proud of the 11 international magazine awards for writing, photography and design awarded by the International Association of Regional Magazines.
“We’ve worked to slowly migrate from sedentary content to service stories like hiking and adventure travel guides,” Holden says. “When the publication began in April 1925, its purpose was to showcase the work of the Arizona Highway Department. By the 1930s, the title changed prophetically and Arizona Highways became a tourist publication. Today, that mission has expanded to promote travel to and through Arizona.”
creative talent
It’s all made possible by the use of 300 photographers, illustrators and writers who regularly contribute to the magazine. With access to such a talent pool, it expands the capacity of the magazine. But they are helped and permanently hurt with access to some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. The results speak for themselves.
Magazine covers clamor for attention as they portray the best of nature…for example, Sedona’s Cathedral Rock at sunset, a thunderstorm over Tucson at night, or snow-capped Ponderosa pines in Apache National Forest. sitgreaves. But it is the mountains that create the spiritual aura over the land and make visitors and residents alike pause. One can only admire the talent of the photographers, illustrators and art directors who can bring the reader to that moment.
Nature’s Best Guide
Large numbers of tourists and residents alike love to commune with the best of nature and trust the magazine to guide them to unspoiled and sometimes little-known sites. What’s most notable is that long-time subscribers (15-20 years old) still find something new in every issue. It’s what draws tourists to Arizona.