Tourism marketing and creative services contract

Solicitation #2026-RFP-055. Issued by Economic Development. The City of Palm Desert (“ City ”) is requesting proposals from qualified firms (“Proposers”) for Tourism Marketing and Creative Services (“Services”) to establish a Professional Services Agreement for Tourism Marketing Services ("Agreement") for a term of July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2030. To serve and promote the welfare of its residents, the City intends to procure the Services, as described below: Tourism is an important contributor to Palm Desert’s economy, supporting lodging, dining, retail, arts and culture, recreation, events, attractions, and other visitor-serving businesses. The City maintains an established destination-marketing program to strengthen awareness of Palm Desert, attract qualified visitors, connect travelers with local experiences and businesses, and support visitor economic activity throughout the community.

The City’s current tourism-marketing contract is approaching the end of its term, creating the need for a competitive procurement for services beginning July 1, 2027. This procurement provides an opportunity to preserve successful practices, incorporate lessons learned, modernize the scope of services, strengthen research and performance measurement, improve financial and contractual clarity, and establish a durable framework for the next phase of Palm Desert’s destination marketing.

Palm Desert competes within a crowded travel market and must communicate a distinctive sense of place that differentiates it from Palm Springs and other desert destinations. The City requires a partner that is experienced in tourism-marketing, can provide strategic leadership and integrated execution across creative and brand management, media planning and buying, public relations, social media, tourism email communications, website marketing, research, measurement, and analytics. The selected firm will work collaboratively with City staff while exercising professional judgment and managing public resources transparently within approved strategic, financial, and administrative parameters.