Visit Mesa Wins Two Awards at the 2025 Arizona Governor’s Conference on Tourism

For Immediate Release

MESA, Ariz. (July 18, 2025)

Visit Mesa was recognized with two major awards at the 2025 Arizona Governor’s Conference on Tourism, taking home Best Marketing Campaign for its highly successful “Banana Week” activation and Best Partnership for its collaborative efforts through Team Arizona Sports.

The Best Marketing Campaign award honored Visit Mesa’s creative execution in launching “Banana Week,” a citywide campaign that celebrated the Savannah Bananas' 2025 Banana Ball World Tour kickoff in Mesa. The campaign transformed a sold-out sporting event into a weeklong celebration by leveraging local excitement and introducing a digital Banana Pass, connecting residents to over a dozen businesses offering banana-themed treats and special deals.

The check-in challenge on the pass also gave participants a chance to score tickets to the sold-out games. Visit Mesa’s media strategy resulted in more than 488,000 media impressions, over 4,000 Banana Pass views, and strong engagement across digital platforms - including an exclusive interview with Savannah Bananas' owner, Jesse Cole, on Visit Mesa's City Limitless® podcast.

The Best Partnership award recognized Visit Mesa’s role in the success of Team Arizona Sports, a strategic collaboration of destination marketing organizations that include Visit Mesa, Visit Chandler, Discover Gilbert, Tempe Tourism, Visit Tucson, Experience Scottsdale and Visit Phoenix. Formed to help drive tourism recovery after COVID-19, this statewide partnership has played a pivotal role in sports tourism, attracting large-scale events and maximizing impact through collaborative hosting, marketing and resource sharing.

Team Arizona Sports has helped position Arizona as a premier multicity sports destination. Notable wins include nationally recognized events like Perfect Game, Triple Crown Sports and United Flag Football League tournaments, resulting in tens of thousands of room nights and more than $90 million in estimated economic impact in 2024.

“Our goal at Visit Mesa is to create experiences that resonate, drive visitor spending and subsequent tax receipts, and elevate Mesa’s visibility on a local and national scale,” said Marc Garcia, president and CEO of Visit Mesa. “These awards reflect the power of collaboration and the passion we bring to every partnership and campaign.”

The Arizona Governor’s Conference on Tourism, held July 16–18 in Phoenix, is the premier annual event for the state’s tourism industry. Hosted by the Arizona Office of Tourism, the conference brings together travel professionals, destination marketers and industry stakeholders to celebrate excellence, share insights and collaborate on advancing Arizona’s tourism economy.
To learn more about Visit Mesa and its local events and partnerships, visit VisitMesa.com.

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Visit Mesa is the official destination marketing organization responsible for positioning and promoting Mesa, Arizona, as a top regional destination for leisure and business travel.

Learn more about Visit Mesa and its mission to promote the value and vitality of Mesa’s visitor economy to create a better community at VisitMesa.com.

CONTACTS:

Zoey Shircel, Communications Manager, Visit Mesa
Direct: 480-682-3654, E-mail: [email protected]

Alicia Boe, Communications Director, Visit Mesa
Direct: 480-825-7695, E-mail: [email protected]