NEW MEXICO TOURISM DEPARTMENT | Strategic Plan 2026-2031

“We want to take a hard look in the mirror. We have our talking points, and they are valid. But do those talking points represent all that we are actually doing? And, do those talking points accurately represent what we ARE doing and HOW we are doing it? We speak about authenticity and want to ensure we remain authentic as we serve the residents of New Mexico.”

PROBLEM:

Problem: The New Mexico Tourism Department (NMTD) is a state-level public sector organization responsible for leading New Mexico’s tourism economy, supporting local communities, and building the New Mexico True brand. Faced with an increasingly complex economic landscape and the need to drill down deeper into individual program metrics, NMTD required a comprehensive, multi-layered approach to guide its statewide initiatives over the next five years.

SOLUTION:

Momentum delivered a comprehensive, high-level strategic intervention by developing a robust 5-Year Strategic Plan paired with an agile, technology-driven implementation framework. Recognizing that traditional static PDF plans often gather dust, Momentum recommended and built a dynamic digital ecosystem in SharePoint. Accessible to every member of the department, this platform serves as an interactive extension of the organization's strategic energy, transforming a static document into a living, internal home that operationalizes NMTD's long-term priorities.

METHOD:

Momentum utilized a collaborative, data-driven approach to map out the department’s priorities from the ground up:

  • Granular Priority Mapping: Designed a structured engagement process to drill down from high-level goals to program-specific metrics across distinct areas such as the Destination Forward Program, New Mexico Clean & Beautiful, TEGS, and Visitor Information Centers.

  • The "Why, What, How, Measure" Framework: Guided division leaders to explicitly define the root problem, objective, initiative roadmap, and clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for every primary action item.

  • Strategic Architecture Integration: Embedded NMTD’s core strategic pillars (Strengthen the Brand, Uplift Pride of Place, Guide the Industry, Fortify the Team) and core values into the workflow to ensure every single project directly supported the agency’s mission.

  • Operational Tool Development: Built custom governance tools including an Idea Decision-Making Matrix to objectively vet upcoming opportunities and a practical How-to Guide to streamline staff onboarding and long-term compliance.

OUTCOME:

The collaboration successfully shifted NMTD from a disconnected annual planning cycle to a unified, real-time operational workflow by delivering tangible structural improvements:

  • Dismantled Organizational Silos: Created dedicated internal SharePoint pages for each division. This allowed teams to establish their distinct operational identities and display their specific missions, while visually connecting their daily work back to the department's broader goals.

  • Sustained, Day-to-Day Plan Engagement: Transitioned the 5-year plan from a high-level manual into a functional daily tool. The platform now actively surfaces immediate priorities, directly informs team meeting agendas, and serves as the primary reference point for operational decision-making throughout the fiscal year.

  • Safeguarded Institutional Knowledge: Established a searchable, centralized digital repository that archives the history of submitted ideas, actions taken, and milestones achieved. This ensures critical data and historical context remain secure within the agency, maintaining total operational continuity regardless of personnel changes or transitions.

  • Democratized the Ideation Process: Expanded department-wide participation by launching a transparent, structured framework for proposal submission. By removing top-down barriers, staff at all levels can submit new concepts, which are then evaluated consistently using the Idea Decision-Making Matrix with clear feedback routed back to the team.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Static is Dead, Dynamic is King: Strategic plans succeed when they live where the daily work happens. Moving the architecture into SharePoint ensures total adoption and real-time visibility.

  • Empowerment Drives Accountability: Involving program coordinators in granularly mapping their own "How" and "Success Measures" sparks greater internal ownership and clearer performance tracking.

  • Operational Continuity is Strategic Security: Centralizing ideas, matrices, and outcomes in an accessible, internal hub ensures that institutional knowledge outlasts staff transitions and keeps the entire department moving in the same direction.