New Mexico begins New Year as a top travel destination in the US, rankings continue to show

What keeps New Mexico at the top of travel and leisure leaderboards year after year?

Just ask Randy Randall, who's been singing New Mexico's praises as the head of Tourism Santa Fe for more than a decade.

"It's one of one," Randall told the Journal. "There is really no other place like it, with the architecture that we have, the cuisine we have, the art, the depth of the art market. And we're authentic. You can't really find what we have here in Santa Fe anywhere else in the country."

Leading into the new year, the New Mexico Tourism Department touted a slew of nods from major travel publications that praise the Land of Enchantment as one of the best places to visit in 2026, with Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos and Route 66 all making the lists.

Frommer's and AFAR named Albuquerque on their Best Places to Go in 2026 and Where to Go in 2026 lists, respectively. Frommer's highlighted the city's Gathering of Nations as the biggest Native America powwow in the country.

Brit + Co added The City Different to its 50 Incredible Travel Destinations to Visit in 2026 rankings, and Travel + Leisure called the state capitol one of the 50 Best Places to Travel in 2026.

Taos, known for its compact but vibrant arts and culture scene in the far northern edge of the state, ranked 10 on U.S. News and World Report's Best Small Towns to Visit in the USA for 2026 list.

Historic Route 66, which cuts through New Mexico and marks its centennial in 2026, was also recognized by Condé Nast Traveler as one of its Best Places to Go in 2026.

Nicole Barker, media relations manager for the New Mexico Tourism Department, said the accolades come as a result of the unique blend of cultural and outdoor recreation attractions New Mexico has to offer, as well as ongoing marketing efforts on the part of the state.

"Some of the accolades we've received are in large part due to the earned media program, where we focus on positioning New Mexico as a great destination for the venturesome traveler," she said, "and a lot of that focus is on wellness, culinary, cultural heritage and outdoor recreation."

That campaign has translated into big dollars for the state, according to the department, which reported in August that New Mexico raked in $8.8 billion in direct visitor spending in 2024 — a $200 million increase over 2023.

Visitor spending in the state has increased by a total of $1.4 billion since 2019, primarily due to international tourism and the wide-ranging impact visitorship brings to New Mexico's economy, which supports just over 95,000 tourism-related jobs, or over 8 percent of all employment in the state.

Barker said the tourism department will be hosting two major media and public relations conferences in the state in 2026.

Both Barker and Randall also spoke to the importance of fostering healthy, responsible tourism for New Mexico.

Often referred to as "destination stewardship," historic communities across the Land of Enchantment, including Taos, are seeking to balance the need to bring tourism revenue to the state while protecting cultural and environmental resources.

"How do we keep the feel of Santa Fe? How do we keep it from feeling too fancy or exclusive?" Randall posed. "I think it's a balance that we have to make. We're the capital of the state, so because of that we have people who are involved in tourism, but that's not our only role. We're not like an Aspen that is just a place for rich people to hang out or visit. We're a real working community."

John Miller is the Albuquerque Journal’s northern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at jmiller@abqjournal.com.