Visit Farmington, formerly known as the Farmington Convention and Visitors Bureau, is the official destination marketing organization for Farmington, New Mexico. Since 1984, our office has had the honor of sharing Farmington and the communities and attractions of San Juan County, New Mexico, with domestic and international leisure travelers. As residents, we enjoy the recreational, cultural, and historical offerings in our area and are thankful for the opportunity to help others explore our community and its gems.
Our love for our community is at the core of every initiative that we pursue. We work to responsibly grow the visitor economy for the benefit of our community. We collaborate with local businesses and organizations through our membership and partnership network to create visitor experiences, generate cultural benefits and employment opportunities for residents, and to diversify and strengthen Farmington’s economy.
Visit Farmington Mission & Objectives
Visit Farmington is a private, 501 c (6) non-profit organization established to promote Farmington and the surrounding area as a destination for recreational, cultural, and historical interest. The mission is to attract visitors, tourists, and conventioneers to Farmington and to enhance the economic health and stability of the area. The focus is to attract conventions/meetings, leisure travelers, travel professionals, and promote travel-inspiring events to the Farmington area.
Objectives
- Enhance the area's economic health and stability by promoting activities that attract visitors.
- Advertise, publicize, and promote Farmington and San Juan County conventions, recreation, hospitality, attractions, and special events to potential leisure travelers.
- Solicit convention and tourism business through forms of direct solicitation, general promotion, and advertising.
- Provide information to the public, particularly to visitors, about the area by distributing information and by maintaining a visitor information center or centers to provide such information.
- Gather information, evaluate, and disseminate statistical and non-statistical information, assist the community in providing services, and determine emerging trends in the travel and convention industry.
How Visit Farmington Operates
Visit Farmington operates by way of a contract with the City of Farmington to oversee destination marketing and promotion for the area. We are funded by a portion of the Lodger’s Tax paid by visitors staying at Farmington lodging establishments. The State of New Mexico mandates that Lodger’s Tax collected by a municipality must go towards the marketing and promotion of the destination. Visit Farmington membership dues also contribute a modest amount to our operating funds. Farmington and San Juan County residents do not pay taxes utilized to promote tourism. The City of Farmington manages an appointed Lodger’s Tax Advisory Board that serves in an advisory capacity to the mayor and City Council.
Visit Farmington works strategically to maximize the impact of its marketing dollars. The work takes many forms, from advertising campaigns to build awareness and sales efforts to entice meetings and conventions to Farmington, as well as providing visitor and meeting planning services for guests when they are in our community. Visit Farmington collaborates with members, local attractions, and industry partners to strengthen the local tourism and hospitality market. We work to balance travel and tourism to benefit people, places, and the prosperity of our community, as well as the experiences of our visitors. We understand this is a critical role in growing the future of tourism for Farmington. Visit Farmington’s goal is to put the power of tourism to work for Farmington.
Visit Farmington Board of Directors & Staff
As a non-profit organization, Visit Farmington is governed by a Board of Directors. The Visit Farmington Board consists of community members committed to marketing Farmington as a destination for domestic and international leisure travelers, meetings and conventions, and sports groups. Currently, our board consists of 13 members, with seven Board members working directly in the tourism and hospitality industry and two City of Farmington-appointed representatives. Additional industries are represented on the Visit Farmington Board to ensure our mission is shared with, and input is received from, a diverse cross-section of the community.
The Visit Farmington Board of Directors
The Visit Farmington Board of Directors is elected by our members towards the end of each fiscal year, with their three-year terms commencing July 1st. They donate their time and expertise to guide the vision of Visit Farmington for the benefit of the organization and the community. The Board creates and implements policies and procedures, oversees all aspects of the financials, reviews and approves funding requests, and governs the Executive Director.
Meet the 2025-2026 Visit Farmington Board of Directors
Officers
- Chair, Natalie Coleman, Assistant GM Animas Valley Mall
- Secretary/Treasurer, Janelle Corley, Physical Therapist Assistant, San Juan Regional Medical Center
- Immediate Past Chair, Ashton Vanden Broeck, Small Business Owner
Board Members
- Larry Baker, Coordinator of Preservation & Restoration, Salmon Ruins
- Judy Contreras, General Manager, Home2 Suites by Hilton
- Jim Cox, City of Farmington Representative,Chief Financial Strategy Officer/Treasurer, City of Farmington
- Karen Ellsbury, Owner, Heart Gallery
- Lewis McMullen, Owner, Clancy’s, an Irish Cantina
- Kamisha Nez, Director of Sales, Holiday Inn Express & Suites
- Tina Pacheco, Executive Director, First Tee Four Corners
- Shaña Reeves, Ex-Officio, City Manager, City of Farmington
- Tara Taylor, Owner, Artifacts 302 & Studio Bake Shoppe
- Audra Winters, Executive Director, San Juan Medical Foundation
Visit Farmington Staff
- Tonya Stinson, Executive Director
- Ingrid Gilbert, Assistant Director & Online Marketing Manager
- Chantalle Bacon, Tourism Outreach Coordinator
- Angel Bider, Visitor Services Coordinator
- Shaquel Singer, Visitor Center Staff
Tourism Programs & Opportunities
Our programs and initiatives are designed to strengthen our community while focused on growing tourism and enhancing the visitor experience. We support local businesses, build community pride, and invest in tourism-focused opportunities that generate significant economic impact. We place a strong emphasis on efforts that encourage overnight stays and strengthen the visitor experience, resulting in a more vibrant, welcoming destination.
SERVE
Community pride and excellent customer service skills are all part of a thriving community. Visit Farmington is proud to have created a 2-hour class that is a perfect fit for anyone living or working in San Juan County, NM. To register for SERVE, please contact our office via email or call (505)326-7602.
Fuel The Journey Grant
Growing visitor experiences is a vital part of a healthy tourism economy. Visit Farmington believes in investing in its membership to help create, support, and market visitor experiences. The 2026 Fuel the Journey Grant application term will be May 4 to June 30, 2026. Dues-paying members can apply for up to $25,000.
Non-profit Event Marketing Funds Application
Visit Farmington is the destination marketing organization for Farmington, New Mexico. Our mission is to attract leisure travelers and travel groups to Farmington. To support our mission and promote visitor-friendly, travel-worthy events, advertising funds are available for events that take place in Farmington and attract overnight visitors to our community. Before applying, please review both the Non-Profit Event Marketing Funds Request Application and the follow-up report to ensure your event meets the criteria.
Competitive/Sporting Event Funding Application
Visit Farmington has funding available to assist organizations holding competitive/sporting events that are held in, and bring overnight visitors to, Farmington, NM. Out-of-town participants are defined as coming from at least 100 miles away from Farmington, NM. Before applying, please review both the Competitive/Sporting Event Funding Request Application and the associated follow-up report to ensure your event meets the criteria.
