2025 Arizona Governor’s Conference On Tourism

DATES: July 16-18, 2025

The Arizona Governor’s Conference on Tourism (GCOT) is the premier educational and information-sharing event in the state for travel professionals and destination marketers. GCOT provides its attendees the opportunity to exchange ideas with peers, learn from expert panelists, draw inspiration from nationally renowned speakers, and discover cutting-edge products and services.

Questions? Please contact us at (602) 542-0065 or info@azgcot.com

Registration

Full Conference Registration: $500
Digital registration closes at 5 p.m. Thursday, July 10.

On-site registration will be available at the Camelback Inn starting at noon on Wednesday, July 16.

Events & Activities

Governor’s Tourism Awards Celebration

The Governor’s Tourism Awards Celebration is where we recognize the outstanding marketers, innovators and ambassadors of the Arizona tourism industry. This sit-down dinner affair is a wonderful celebration of our industry and a great opportunity to network with fellow attendees, sponsors and exhibitors. We look forward to recognizing excellence in Arizona’s travel and tourism industry during this special evening event.

We invite you to nominate yourself, your organization, or someone you admire within the tourism industry for the Governor’s Tourism Awards, with categories including innovative marketing campaigns, cooperative partnerships, exceptional customer service and more.

Please review the guidelines and deadlines as outlined below carefully before making your final submission. Winners will be announced at the Governor’s Tourism Awards Celebration Dinner on July 17, 2025.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Krista Mott-Fulton at kmott-fulton@tourism.az.gov.

Accommodations

The JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa is the host hotel for the Governor’s Conference on Tourism.
The conference room block is closed, please click below to contact the hotel directly to book accommodations.

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2025 Conference Schedule

Please check back as more details are finalized

Wednesday, July 16

Noon – 5:00 p.m. – Registration/Information Desk Open — Arizona Ballroom Foyer

4:00 – 6:00 p.m. – GCOT 2025 Welcome Reception — Arizona Ballroom

Kick off GCOT 2025 right at our Opening Night Reception! Take this opportunity to reconnect, share stories, and celebrate all the incredible work we do across our amazing state. Come unwind, catch up with old friends, and make some new ones as we toast to an inspiring conference ahead. Don’t miss it!

Thursday, July 17
Governor’s Tourism Awards Night – Prep your best Western Wear for our “cowboy core”-themed awards evening!

7:30 – 5:30 p.m. – Registration/Information Desk Open — Arizona Ballroom Foyer

7:15 – 8:00 a.m. – Continental Breakfast — Arizona Ballroom

8:00 – 8:30 a.m. – General Session: Arizona Office of Tourism State of the Industry Update — Paradise Ballroom

8:30 – 9:00 a.m. – General Session – Connecting the Dots: Travel, Trends, and Tomorrow’s Economy — Paradise Ballroom
Zeek Coleman, Vice President, Americas at Tourism Economics

Known for his insights in describing the relationship between travel, visitation and the economy, Zeek will share the types of visitor insights that can only be gained from seeing – and effectively analyzing – the whole picture. His unique perspective focuses not only on understanding the now, but more importantly, what might be next!

9:00 – 10:30 a.m. – General Session – Arizona Tourism Forward: Charting Our Collective Course –– Paradise Ballroom
Trever Cartwright, Founding Principal, Coraggio Group

Join us for an engaging and collaborative work session that marks the official launch of Arizona’s statewide tourism industry strategic planning process–an initiative designed by the industry, for the industry. Participants in the general session will gain insight into the planning framework, including the powerful Collective Impact model, and explore how their voices will directly shape the future. Through dynamic small-group exercises, attendees will discuss and help define the focus of the strategic plan. This is your opportunity to influence important strategic decisions, ensure local perspectives are heard and walk away with a true sense of authorship in the future of our industry.

10:30 -11:00 a.m. – Morning Break — Arizona Ballroom

11:00 a.m. – Noon – Concurrent Breakout Sessions
- International Perspectives: Positioning U.S. Travel Stories in Today’s Economic and Geo-Political Climate — Salons B&C
  AOT’s international media reps will explore how travelers worldwide experience and perceive the U.S. amid today’s shifting economic and geopolitical climate. The panelists will examine how political tensions, economic uncertainty and cultural dynamics shape travel narratives and influence attitudes toward the U.S., offering insight into the evolving role of Arizona as an international destination.

- Connecting the Dots between SEO, Branding and AI — Salons D&E
  Sponsored by Casual Astronaut
  We’re in a new era of discovery, but some fundamentals haven’t changed: Great content still matters and smart SEO still works. What’s changed is the why. Today, you’re not just optimizing content to climb search rankings. You’re shaping how AI tools perceive, retrieve and recommend your destination. This session focuses on building a marketing strategy that works double duty — grounded in search best practices, but evolved for the way people (and machines) actually find and understand destinations today.

- Gen Z and Millennials: The New Generation of Travelers — Salons 5&6
  Sponsored by Tripadvisor
  Gen Z and Millennials are transforming the travel industry with their distinct values, preferences, and digital-first behaviors. This presentation explores why these influential generations matter to brands, offers key insights into their travel behaviors and how to effectively engage them, and examines how they differ across each stage of the travel journey. Join us to gain valuable insights and discover how to connect with today’s most powerful travel consumers.

- Localizing Global Frameworks: Practical Approaches to Destination Stewardship — Salons 7&8
  While global destination stewardship principles are universal, each destination faces its own unique considerations in implementing them. This panel will explore the opportunities and challenges of applying these frameworks at the local level. Speakers will share practical strategies, real-world examples and tools to identify gaps and tailor sustainable solutions that fit specific community needs and contexts.

Noon – 1:00 p.m. Lunch: Route 66 Celebration Continues! — Paradise Ballroom
Sponsored: Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona

1:00 – 1:45 p.m. Mastering the Message: Your Audience, Your Impact — Paradise Ballroom
Deborah Ostreicher, Founder, Distinguished Communications

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Concurrent Breakout Sessions
- Charting the Course: Navigating Global Travel Trade Impacts and Trends — Salons B&C
  Travel trade is essential to Arizona’s tourism economy, connecting global travelers to experiences and expanding market reach. AOT’s in-market Travel Trade Representatives from the Australia, UK, Germany, France, Canada and Mexico will share insights on international travel trends, market sentiment and how these factors are shaping visitation and industry growth.

- Knowledge Work in the AI Era: A Guide to Becoming Superhuman — Salons D&E
  Sponsored by Madden Media
  We’re entering a new age for knowledge workers—one filled with data, rapid change, and powerful tools. Are you keeping up? This session goes beyond AI basics to show you how to master advanced platforms like Julius, NotebookLM, PerplexityAI, and ChatGPT. Learn how to transform your workflows, make smarter decisions, and thrive in an AI-driven world. With a clear, practical approach, you’ll gain powerful new skills to boost your impact—both at work and in your career.

- Story Spark: Igniting Tourism Through Authentic Voices — Salons 5&6
  Unpack the power of the authentic stories that already exist within your community, just waiting to be told. This session will help tourism communicators identify, collect, synthesize and share the perspectives and experiences of the people who define the culture and the experience of their own Arizona communities. Driven by real-world successes and specific examples, this session is designed to be both a presentation and a discussion about unlocking local stories and delivering the ever-elusive “authenticity” that all visitors seek.

- Winning the Game: How Arizona Scored Big with Sports Tourism — Salons 7&8
  Sports tourism is more than just fans in seats – it’s a dynamic driver of economic impact, community engagement, and destination branding. In this session moderated by Sports ETA, discover how Visit Mesa, Tempe Tourism, and Visit Tucson Sports hosted highly successful sports tourism events that attracted thousands of visitors, generated significant revenue, and showcased the destination’s capacity to deliver on a global stage.

3:00 – 3:30 p.m. Afternoon Break — Arizona Ballroom

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. General Session – Pulse of the Traveler: Navigating U.S. Tourism Sentiment — Paradise Ballroom
In this engaging session, three leading voices from the tourism industry will dive into the current state of travel sentiment toward the United States, covering both international and domestic perspectives. Backed by the latest research and insights, each panelist will share findings on traveler perceptions, motivations, and hesitations in the current landscape. A moderated discussion will explore key trends, emerging markets, and shifts in consumer behavior, followed by a 15-minute Q&A. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain actionable takeaways on how sentiment is shaping tourism today—and what it means for tomorrow.

5:00 – 6:00 p.m. Pre-Awards Reception — Arizona Ballroom

6:00 – 8:30 p.m. Governor’s Tourism Awards Celebration — “Cowboy Core” — Paradise Ballroom
Yeehaw! Get ready to kick up your heels and join us for this year’s Governor’s Tourism Awards! We’re rolling out the red carpet (or perhaps, a dusty trail?) to celebrate the incredible folks who make Arizona a top-tier travel destination. So, dust off your boots, don your best “Cowboy Core” threads, and let’s honor the best of our industry. It’s gonna be a rootin’ tootin’ good time!

Friday, July 18
Destination Day! – Wear your favorite destination gear all day!

8:00 – 11:00 a.m. – Registration/Information Desk Open — Arizona Ballroom Foyer

8:00 – 8:45 a.m. Continental Breakfast — Arizona Ballroom

9:00 – 10:00 a.m. General Session – Monetary Masala: Key Indicators for the U.S. Economy — Paradise Ballroom
Dr. Anirban Basu, Sage Policy Group

Is the US economy headed for recession, or can America weather emerging trade wars, associated cost increases, and uncertainty? This presentation focuses on US and regional economic performance with an eye toward identifying emerging risks to what has been the world’s most envied economy. Among variables of interest are interest rates, employment growth, real estate valuations, and a variety of leading economic indicators.

10:00 – 10:15 a.m. Morning Break — Arizona Ballroom

10:15 – 11:00 a.m. General Session: How Adopting a Social-First Mindset can Unlock Business Wins — Paradise Ballroom

11:00 a.m. – Noon General Session: Tourism Talk (Group Therapy!) facilitated by AOT — Paradise Ballroom

Noon – Conclusion

Sponsorships Now Available

This year’s sponsorship options deliver on the most-requested options based on feedback and requests from previous years.

While our general GCOT sponsorship options offer amazing exposure and value, this year we added DMO-only sponsorship options to meet the specific needs of statewide marketing organizations.

All of these packages provide the opportunity to participate in the conference at a variety of levels, offering flexibility to choose the sponsorship level that best suits budget and promotional needs.