Cochise County offers a unique blend of the Old West combined with scenic attractions. Numerous activities are available, to include hiking, bird watching, boating, fishing, and golfing. Ramsey Canyon, with its famous hummingbird sanctuary, attracts visitors from around the world. Numerous mining camps designated as ghost towns provide tourists with an understanding of area history.
Tombstone, the “Town Too Tough to Die,” remains the most visited attraction in the county with its Tombstone Court House State Historic Park and O.K. Corral. Bisbee, home of the Copper Queen Mine Tour, Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum, and arguably the oldest, continually operated professional baseball field in America, boasts its artisans, mining history, and a well-preserved historic district.
The City of Douglas offers the Gadsden Hotel as a landmark of historic significance. The Chiricahua and the Huachuca Mountains provide hiking and camping opportunities. The San Pedro National Riparian Conservation Area contains over 40 miles of desert offering a rare remnant of what was once an extensive network of riparian systems throughout the Southwest.
Visitors interested in agricultural tourism can take advantage of “u-pick” fruit and vegetable offerings in Willcox, featuring fresh local produce from the surrounding farms and orchards. Willcox is also home to the Rex Allen Museum, featuring exhibits on the area‘s ranching and farming history as well as Rex Allen, the local boy who “made it” in Hollywood.
Kartchner Caverns State Park opened in November 1999 and, despite declining visitation in recent years, remains one of the most visited state parks in Arizona.
Other major attractions in Cochise County include:
1. the Fort Huachuca National Historic Landmark District
2. Coronado National Memorial
3. Coronado National Forest
4. Fort Bowie National Historic Site
5. Cochise Stronghold
6. Chiricahua National Monument
7. Lehner Mammoth Kill Site
8. Murray Springs Clovis Site
9. Amerind Foundation and Museum
10. Arizona Folklore Preserve
11. Historic John Slaughter Ranch
12. Texas Canyon
13. San Bernardino Wildlife Refuge
14. Kartchner Caverns State Park
15. Tombstone Court House State Historic Park
16. O.K. Corral, Tombstone
17. City of Tombstone
18. Queen Mine Tour
19. Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum (Member of the Smithsonian Museums)
20. Old Bisbee
21. Fort Huachuca National Historic Landmark District
22. Coronado National Memorial
23. Coronado National Forest
24. San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area
25. Fort Bowie National Historic Site
26. Cochise Stronghold
27. Dragoons
28. Chiricahua National Monument
29. Lehner Mammoth Kill Site
30. Murray Springs Clovis Site
31. Amerind Foundation and Museum
32. Arizona Folklore Preserve
33. Ramsey Canyon
34. Historic John Slaughter Ranch
35. Ghost towns of Charleston and Dos Cabezas
36. Texas Canyon
37. San Bernardino Wildlife Refuge.
Value of Fort Huachuca
The presence of Fort Huachuca in Cochise County and increased government travel provides an added benefit by providing a buffer against cyclical downturns. Military and Department of Defense civilian and contractor personnel travel to Fort Huachuca for training, attendance at conferences, or other military or defense-related activities.
Cochise County is also an international gateway to Mexico via the city of Douglas and the unincorporated town of Naco.
Visits to state and national parks provide a good indicator of tourism performance. Coronado National Memorial, which hosts about 120,000 visitors a year, saw visits increase by 27 percent in 2008, 14 percent in 2009, and 31.3 percent in 2010.
Visits to the Chiricahua National Monument, which hosts about 58,000 visitors a year, were down 3.2 percent in 2008, up 7.6 percent in 2009, but down again by 8.9 percent in 2010.
Visits to Fort Bowie National Historic Site, which hosts about 9,500 visitors a year, increased by 0.7 percent in 2008, but were down 4.5 percent in 2009 and 1.6 percent in 2010.
Visits to Kartchner Caverns State Park, which hosts about 135,000 visitors a year, fell by 4.2 percent in 2008, 6 percent in 2009, and 14.8 percent in 2010.
The Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park, which hosts about 47,000 visitors a year, saw visits increase by 0.1 percent in 2008, but decline by 14.5 percent in 2009 and 0.8 percent in 2010.
In January 2010, the Arizona State Parks Board voted to close 13 state parks, including the Tombstone Courthouse. The Tombstone city government, Tombstone Chamber of Commerce, and Arizona State Parks Board entered into an agreement to keep the park open, transferring management responsibilities to the city and chamber as of April 2010.
According to research commissioned by AOT and conducted by Dean Runyon Associates, total travel-related spending in Cochise County was $331.2 million in 2009, down 5.6 percent from 2008. This followed a decline of less 0.3 percent in 2008.
In 2009, overnight visitors who stayed in lodging establishments (including campgrounds) in Cochise County accounted for 43.6 percent of all spending by visitors. Those who stayed in private homes, including vacation homes, accounted for 20 percent, while day travelers accounted for 36.4 percent of total visitor spending.
In 2009, 50.3 percent of spending by visitors to Cochise County was for leisure and hospitality services (arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodations, and food service). Spending on retail (including food stores) accounted for 38.6 percent and transportation (including gasoline) accounted for 11.1 percent. Approximately 4,340 jobs were generated in Cochise County in 2009 by travel-related spending, according to the Dean Runyon Associates study. More than 82 percent of those jobs were in leisure and hospitality services.
Travel-related spending accounted for approximately $82.3 million in direct earnings and generated approximately $11.5 million in direct local government tax revenue in 2009. These are taxes levied on visitors rather than residents. This leaves more money in the hands of residents, increasing their purchasing power and, as a result, generating higher levels of local spending that also strengthen local area job growth.
Lodging industry trends
Cochise County‘s lodging industry rebounded in 2010, according to Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT) lodging indicator data. In 2010, Cochise County‘s lodging occupancy rate increased by 4.9 percent, rising from 52.1 to 54.6 percent for the year.
This followed declines of 11.4 and 17.3 percent in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Despite the increase, the county‘s lodging occupancy rate for 2010 was below the statewide rate of 55.7 percent and the nationwide rate of 57.6 percent.
The average daily room rate in Cochise County increased by 1.9 percent from $67.82 to $69.09 in 2010. The average daily room rate was about 30 percent below the national rate and 25 percent below the statewide rate.
Revenue generated per available room in Cochise County was up by 6.8 percent from $35.32 to $37.73 in 2010. Lodging room demand was up by 6.8 percent and supply was up 1.9 percent in 2010.
Cochise County communities have joined together forming the Cochise County Tourism Council (CCTC). The marketing efforts of the CCTC, which are funded by the individual communities, Cochise County, and grant dollars from Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT), market Cochise County as a single entity.
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