Vision
Improve the quality of life for all members within the Az19 region through increased tourism.
Mission
Promote the educational, historical, social, and economic attributes of the region.
Goal
To transform the region from a seasonal economy to a rear-Round economy.
Purpose
To increase tourism by forming strong business and community leader strategic partnerships.
Az19 Story
The Az19 Tourism Taskforce has been meeting since January 2017.It grew out of the 2016 Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center (GVSCC) retreat and has been working to promote tourism.
In June of 2018, the task force submitted the paperwork to be recognized as the Az19 Regional Tourism Alliance, a nonprofit in Arizona. We have secured our Federal EIN, and we received our official Federal 501(c) [3] status on March 20th, 2019.
Az19 Focus
The AZ 19 Regional Tourism Alliance is a group of Chambers, Tourism Groups, Associations and other like businesses who have joined together to promote the educational, historical, cultural heritage and economic attributes of southern Arizona.
Our focus is on sharing the unique beauty and inspirational sites along the 101 kilometer drive from South Tucson to Nogales, AZ
Interstate I-19 is a 100-kilometer, north-south highway. It parallels major north-south linear features of the landscape, that is, the Santa Cruz River Valley, the Santa Rita Mountains, the Union Pacific Railroad running from Nogales to Tucson, Arizona, which abut the interstate on the east and the talus slopes of the copper mines, which abut it on the west.
It was a major transportation corridor long before the interstate was built in 1962. It is now the primary route for agriculture transport by trucks from Mexico north to Arizona, California, and other states in the region. It is, of course, the must-use route of residents, visitors, and tourists.
Interstate is the only continuous highway in the country that lists distances in kilometers rather than in miles. The use of the metric system dates to the Carter administration. The interstate continues to use the metric signage due to the efforts of locals who do not want to change the distance to their businesses. Presumably, they were also dismayed at the thought of losing their singularity.
If you are willing to give an inch and forget about miles, head to interstate 19 and see what it is like to drive a few kilometers!
Az19 Regional Tourism Alliance
