Scottsdale mulls giving $50K to tourism group

Scottsdale officials hope to bolster tourism by tying the city more closely with the Papago Park area, a popular destination with visitors interested in seeing the Sonoran Desert up close.

The City Council tonight is scheduled to consider allocating $50,000 over the next two years to the Papago Salado Association, a nonprofit created by Scottsdale, Phoenix and Tempe. It’s part of an ongoing effort by the three cities to raise awareness of the cultural, natural and entertainment features of the Papago Salado region, bounded by Indian Bend Wash to the east, Camelback Road to the north, University Drive to the south and 44th Street to the west.

Lauren Simons, the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau’s marketing vice president, said Papago Park — 1,200 acres of desert, including the landmark Papago Buttes — along with the adjacent Phoenix Zoo and the Desert Botanical Garden, are some of the top draws for tourists who visit Scottsdale.

“They’re very curious about the Sonoran Desert, and the Desert Botanical Garden does an exceptional job,” Simons said.

The Papago Salado region, however, is by no means limited to the park. It also includes major tourist destinations such as the downtown areas of Scottsdale and Tempe, Tempe Town Lake, numerous golf courses, Scottsdale Stadium and Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

“The region encompasses a lot of cultural amenities,” Simons said.

The Papago Salado Association was created in 1992 to market the area’s attractions to tourists and local residents, to help improve transportation links between destinations and to better integrate the Papago Salado region into the three cities in which it sits, Simons said.

Scottsdale’s share of the association’s costs has amounted to $25,000 a year almost every year since the group’s creation, said Bob Cafarella, the city’s preservation director.

Guests at the city’s resorts often want to visit the Sonoran Desert environment contained in the region.

“It’s very important because the Papago Salado region contains the zoo, the botanical gardens and other cultural and historical resources in that area,” Cafarella said.

Councilwoman Betty Drake, a Papago Salado board member, said the nonprofit is exploring ways of better connecting the city with the Papago Park area.

In addition to increasing the number of trails, ideas have included building additional bridges over canals and improving ties between the park and local neighborhoods, she said.

“Having this wonderful natural area right in the middle of the city is something that’s fairly rare,” she said. “The advantages to Scottsdale are really many.”