It’s sunny here: Arizona tourism’s newest campaign to target Seattle

PHOENIX — Although one climatologist said Phoenix will resemble Seattle for the next few months, the Arizona Office of Tourism’s newest campaign is focused on luring residents of the Pacific Northwest to the desert.

This winter, the agency has posted images of Arizona on two Puget Sound ferries — the Tacoma and the Wenatchee — promoting the state and its 325 days of sunshine annually. There are also images promoting the state on ticket booths, turnstiles and a pedestrian footbridge.

“The Seattle market, while it’s fairly new for us, it was very successful last year,” the agency’s director, Debbie Johnson, said. “We felt very strongly [about the] opportunity to go do an even stronger campaign this year.”

As part of the campaign, passengers traveling on those ferry boats Jan. 14 and 15 will be greeted by Arizona ambassadors with gift cards to Seattle restaurants and a chance to enter an Arizona vacation sweepstakes.

Johnson said Seattle is her agency’s biggest marketing campaign this winter.

“We hope to make a positive impression on the Seattle area and build a connection to residents so Arizona is top-of-mind as they plan their next vacation,” she said.

Johnson said Arizona has a lot to offer for Seattleites.

“We have such diverse offerings,” she said. “Whether you’re [into] arts and culture, whether you’re kind of a foodie and like the culinary side, whether you love the outdoor adventure, really anything you want to do we can do in Arizona.”

The marketing campaign in the Emerald City is expected to run through February.