Cotton-candy sunsets. Starry desert skies. Towering saguaro cacti. At ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ, we want everyone to witness the wonders of ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ’s Sonoran Desert and experience our unique blend of luxury, relaxation and adventure.
That’s why in recent years, both ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ and the city of ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ have taken intentional steps to ensure everyone feels welcome here.
Our Commitment
¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ’s mission is to promote the ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ area as a luxury destination for meetings, events and leisure travel. In doing so, we invite people from all over the country and world to visit and meet in ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ.
People of all races, sexual orientations, gender identities, religions, abilities, ages, backgrounds and experiences not only visit ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ but also call ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ home. They include our employees, colleagues, neighbors, family members and friends. ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ is fully committed to listening and learning so that all people, no matter their differences, feel respected, represented and safe in our community.
¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ proudly promotes ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ. We proudly celebrate the diversity of our community members and visitors. And we proudly commit to seeking a more inclusive and equitable future for our organization and community.
Our Strides
In recent years, national conversations have shed light on the importance of cultivating a more inclusive tourism industry. In response, ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ formed a staff-led committee to instill inclusive values into the fabric of our organization. We hired a local consultant to work in tandem with the committee and further these efforts, providing marketing assessments, leadership support, and training for our staff, board of directors and members.
Internally, ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ has engaged our team, provided educational materials and coordinated speakers to help inform and inspire our staff and member businesses. We also have adjusted our hiring and recruiting practices to tap a more expansive candidate pool.
We have made changes with our marketing to capture perspectives that are more reflective of our visitors for our website, social media channels and marketing campaigns. We’ve published stories on our website to highlight unique voices in our community, such as our Hispanic-owned businesses and BIPOC entrepreneurs. And to ensure people of all abilities can easily access our content, ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ has added an accessibility tool that customizes browsing experiences on both the mobile and desktop versions of Experience¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ.com.
Externally, we have become more vocal in our support of social inclusion with the hope that our community embraces meaningful and sustainable change. Our president and CEO signed Destinations Internationals’ Equity, and . We took the Equality & Fairness For All Americans Pledge to continue to advance non-discrimination protections, as well as voiced our support for ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ’s Anti-Discrimination Ordinance, which passed in April 2021.
Our Partnerships
¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ is a proud member of the following organizations, and we have collaborated with additional organizations to offer training to our members with the hopes of expanding our customer base, providing the best service possible, and supporting a diverse workforce that allows our industry to put its best foot forward.
OUR COMMUNITY
Here in ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ, you can support restaurants, bars, shops, spas and art galleries owned and operated by people who identify as women, people of color and LGBTQ+. You can tour attractions and institutions that celebrate cultures and histories like Western Spirit: ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ’s Museum of the West, Heard Museum and Musical Instrument Museum. You can attend annual events like the Arizona Indian Festival, the ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ Jazz Festival, the Juneteenth Celebration and the Rainbows Festival.
Beyond offering such opportunities and experiences, ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ is committed to fair treatment of residents, visitors and employees in the community. In April 2021, the ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ City Council adopted an anti-discrimination ordinance that prohibits discrimination based on actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. The ordinance provides a clear and comprehensive mandate for the prevention of discrimination in employment, housing, places of public accommodation, and city services, programs and activities.
The anti-discrimination ordinance was championed by the city’s and the Human Relations Commission, an advisory body for the mayor and council. Following its passage, ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ received a score of 100 on the .
OUR ACCESSIBILITY
¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ partnered with Wheel the World, an online booking platform where seniors and people with disabilities can discover travel accommodations and experiences that meet their individual accessibility needs.
Through our partnership, ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ-area hospitality businesses receive assessments from Wheel the World’s team of experts that consider all types of disabilities, such as mobility-related, sensory, and cognitive.
Learn more about ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ’s fully accessible accommodations, restaurants, attractions and adventures to barrier-free trails on our Travel Accessibility in ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ webpage.
OUR NATIVE ROOTS
¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ is located on the ancestral homeland of the O’Odham (known as the Pima) and the Piipaash (known as the Maricopa). Native peoples have inhabited this landscape for millennia, and the city remains spiritually connected to the O’Odham of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRP-MIC) who live here today.
The SRP-MIC borders the city of ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ, and it is a confederation of two unique cultures with their own languages, customs, cultures, religions and histories. The traditional territory of the Akimel O’Odham and Piipaash extends much further throughout the Southwestern United States and Mexico, and the landscape is sacred, reflecting cultural values central to their ways of life. Their oral history and song culture is tied to tangible places associated with specific historic, cultural and religious values. These places, like the mountains that surround ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ and the SRP-MIC, are reminders and links to their ancestors.
¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ partners with many attractions and hotels located within the SRP-MIC. Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized, sovereign Native American nations, and ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ strives to recognize, celebrate and share their respective customs, traditions and businesses with visitors traveling to Arizona through our stories, itineraries and promotions.
Find additional information on visiting the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and Arizona’s tribal lands at and .