After nearly three decades shaping Arizona’s visitor economy, Visit Mesa President and CEO Marc Garcia has been inducted into the Arizona Tourism Hall of Fame, recognizing his sustained leadership in tourism and his role in positioning Mesa as a nationally recognized destination.

The honor was presented during the Governor’s Tourism Awards at the 2026 Arizona Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Tucson. Garcia joined Visit Mesa as president and CEO in 2012, and during his tenure, booked room nights and related visitor spending have increased by more than 891%, while the organization’s operating budget has grown by more than 300%. His work has extended beyond destination marketing, including statewide tourism advocacy and efforts to expand accessible travel. In 2019, Garcia led Mesa’s initiative to become the nation’s first Autism Certified City, an effort that has since trained thousands of hospitality employees, city personnel and community members in autism awareness.

Garcia’s career also includes 15 years with Visit Phoenix, where he worked on major tourism and convention initiatives and helped lead efforts to rebuild Arizona’s reputation as a welcoming destination following the 2010 passage of SB 1070. At the same Governor’s Tourism Awards, Visit Mesa’s Ashley Stwertnik, producer and host of the City Limitless podcast, received a Rising Star Award for her work telling Mesa’s story through multimedia and destination storytelling.

The Curated Take: Tourism leadership is often measured in hotel nights and visitor spending, but Garcia’s career illustrates the broader influence destination organizations can have on how a place is experienced. His work in accessible travel is particularly notable, demonstrating how destination marketing can extend into the design of a more welcoming visitor experience. The dual recognition for Garcia and Stwertnik also highlights something increasingly important in destination promotion: the people telling a place’s story can be just as influential as the campaigns themselves.

Photo credit: Visit Mesa

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