SANTA FE – Governor Susana Martinez joined New Mexico tourism officials today to discuss statistics that point to a nearly five percent increase in the number of visitors to the state last year. Travelers that visited New Mexico in 2011 generated $5.5 billion in spending by tourists and brought in $1.2 billion in revenues for the state. According to an annual survey by Longwoods Travel USA, New Mexico had 31.2 million travelers in 2011, a 4.7 percent increase from 29.8 million in 2010.“Tourism has an enormous impact on all of New Mexico’s communities, both large and small,” said Governor Martinez. “We’re committed to getting the message out to visitors from around the world about all of the beautiful scenery, historic landmarks, incredible adventures, and unique attractions that New Mexico has to offer.”

Recently, the Navajo Nation also saw a spike in Tourism, according to an economic impact study, Navajo land visitors spent more than $143.7 million to help boost the Navajo Nation economy. Many Navajo’s live off the reservation in NM small towns, Gallup, Farmington, and Albuquerque which helps small businesses and local municipalities in taxes.

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The increase in tourism has led to growth in the leisure and hospitality industries, with employment up 2.7 percent, or about 2,000 jobs, as of May 2012. With 86,500 jobs in those industries, 1 in 12 New Mexico jobs are now directly related to tourism.The state also saw a 12.4 percent increase in visitors making New Mexico their primary destination. Increasing these numbers is a primary focus of the Tourism Department as these visitors stay longer and spend more money in the state.

“The Land of Enchantment rolled out 31.2 Million new Travelers, that is a 4.7 Percent Increase from 2010 ”

Additionally, expenditures per trip were also up 9.3 percent, according to the Longwoods survey.

“This is great news but we need everyone’s help to continue building on this momentum,” said Tourism Department Secretary Monique Jacobson. “I hope that all New Mexicans will encourage their friends and family to come and experience our authentic true adventures and take the tame to travel the state themselves to learn something new about the place we call home.”

Longwoods has been a leader in tourism research since 1985, when they conducted the largest-ever study of American travel behavior. Longwoods Travel USA is the largest ongoing study of the nation’s business and leisure travel.