The Las Cruces Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) has hired a new Tourism Sales Manager to assist the bureau in bringing group tours and leisure travel to Las Cruces.

Adelle Cox, former Assistant General Manager of the Sunset Grill Restaurant at the Sonoma Ranch Golf Course in Las Cruces and graduate of the Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism Management program at New Mexico State University, took over the position on March 12, 2007.

“We are looking forward to all the ways Adelle can develop and enhance the group tour and leisure travel markets for Las Cruces.” said CVB Executive Director Ken Mompellier.

As Tourism Sales Manager, Adelle will be working with tour operators and group leaders in an effort to raise Las Cruces’ profile within the group travel industry and increase the number of tours visiting Las Cruces. She will also be charged with developing travel programs and packages for leisure travelers and auto clubs.

“We are very excited to be bringing someone on board who has such a passion for tourism and Las Cruces, she will be a tremendous asset to the bureau and the community,” said Mompellier.

The CVB has hired Arturo Ruiz to be the bureau's new Distribution Specialist. Arturo will be responsible for keeping track of the bureau’s inventory, distributing brochures locally and state wide, assisting departments in fulfilling information requests and coordinating bulk mailings.

To say thank you to visitors and the community for their support of tourism, the Las Cruces Convention & Visitors Bureau will be celebrating National Tourism Week May 12 - 20, 2007. The bureau will be hosting an open house Wednesday, May 17, from 9 am – 4 pm with a live radio remote from 12 – 2 pm at the CVB located at 211 N. Water Street. Stop by and enjoy snacks, refreshments and door prizes.

Every year, visitors to New Mexico spend about $4 billion and about $100 million of that is spent in Dona Ana County and of that $100 million, about $41 million is spent in Las Cruces restaurants, stores, gas stations, hotels, golf courses and attractions.

For more information about National Tourism Week or how the CVB can help you, contact Tourism Sales Manager Adelle Cox at 541-2163 or at acox@las- cruces.org.

The CVB has made a change in its annual special event funding program. The bureau has purchased space on an electronic rotating billboard in Albuquerque and will be featuring local events throughout the year. The change was made to assist area events in reaching a larger out of town audience. The board is set to debut within the next couple of months. The City of Las Cruces is also evaluating a new events funding program. If approved, the program would allow local events to apply for funds directly through City Council. The plan should be up for review and approval by Council within the next 30- 45 days.

The Western Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament took place in Las Cruces at the newly remodeled Pan American Center March 6-10, 2007. Nine schools participated in both the men’s and women’s divisions. Teams, officials, and fans filled hotel rooms for most of the week. The event was considered a success by WAC officials and the tournament will be back in Las Cruces March 11-15, 2008.

The CVB Media Dept. hosted two press trips of television and print journalists last month. The first trip March 14-18, 2007 featured journalists writing for the most well-known publications in the state of Chihuahua, including Chihuahua’s major newspapers, El Heraldo and El Diario as well as lifestyle magazines like Enfiestate, Cliché, Chihuahua Life and Evolucion. The group toured Las Cruces, Mesilla, Alamogordo, Ruidoso, Cloudcroft and points in-between.

The second trip March 18-25, 2007 was a film crew shooting three episodes of a popular television travel show in Mexico, “Meridiano X,” which features exotic travel destinations. Supplemental articles will be written by the program’s host, Luis Madaria, and published in magazines distributed throughout Mexico. Stops included cities statewide. This was the first time that “Meridiano X” filmed a show in the United States.

The Hampton Inn and Suites located at the corner of Griggs and Triviz is now looking to open it's doors in April. It was originally planning for an early March opening but that has been pushed back. The property will feature 73 rooms and suites. Belia Alvarez is the General Manager.