Is tourism an art? We think it is. Sure, you can visit just about any place in the world, do all the things and take pictures with your phone. We call that sightseeing, and it can be a fun way to travel. But when you visit Sedona, we invite you to take a slightly different approach. We invite you to love it like a local.

The reason most of Sedona’s 10,000 residents live here is that we love it. We love the beauty, hiking and biking the best Sedona trails, exploring art galleries and browsing the shops, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. But loving Sedona comes with a big responsibility: we also have to care for it. With all the great things to do in Sedona, caring for it means picking up our trash on the trails, for example, respecting wildlife, and preserving Sedona’s beauty for all the people who will live and visit here when we’re gone. Each of us feels personally responsible for taking good care of this wonderful place.

The art of tourism, then, when you visit Sedona, is to think of yourself as a temporary resident. Think of yourself as part of the community. For as long or as short as you stay, please treat Sedona with the same care and respect that we do. Not only will you enjoy Sedona more, you might also discover a fun new way to experience all the places you visit.

Here’s a 1-minute video with a few suggestions for how you can visit Sedona and love it like a local.