McDonald: Governor finds legacy in tourism

Earlier this year I wrote about Gov. Susana Martinez’s tenuous legacy, saying that, after a little more than four years in office, she has little of consequence to tout as a lasting accomplishment.

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Now, I’m thinking she may have found it in tourism.

It’s no surprise Martinez is touting tourism, since it’s on the uptick these days. Last year, more people visited the state than ever before in a single year — 32.7 million people in all, spending their money and creating some 2,200 jobs, according to the governor.

New Mexico True, a marketing campaign her administration initiated soon after she took office in 2011, has been putting the state’s best foot forward in strategic locations around the nation, and it seems to be working.

Credit its success to Monique Jacobson, a New Mexico native who built up an impressive resume in private enterprise marketing before returning home to run the Tourism Department during Martinez’s first term in office.

Jacobson has since moved to the Children, Youth and Family Department, so that her previous assistant, Rebecca Latham, now has the reigns of authority at Tourism.

According to Latham, it’s not just out-of-staters who are funneling money into the state’s tourism industry — more New Mexicans are contributing with their own time, money and recruitment.

“We saw increases in day trips and overnight trips here in New Mexico and we saw 5 million friends and family invited, at your invitation, to travel the state,” Latham told a sparse but enthusiastic Roswell crowd.

That’s significant not just because of the money it spreads around but as a matter of pride. That’s what keeps homes fixed up and yards clean.

I think New Mexico True, through its partnerships with communities all over the state, is instilling, or reinforcing, what some New Mexicans didn’t realize, or forgot — that there’s an abundance of things to do and see in this Land of Enchantment.

Tom McDonald is editor of the New Mexico Community News Exchange. Contact him at:

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