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What Is the TEAM GPS Foundation?
The TEAM GPS Foundation is committed to economic mobility for residents of the Coachella Valley and advancing our tourism workforce along with improving sustainability and diversity, equity, and inclusion in our industry. Foundation programs include college scholarships to local students pursuing degrees in hospitality, supporting industry mentorship and internship programs, and supporting programs that enhance the visitor experience or advance accessibility, sustainability, diversity, equity, or inclusion in our community.
TEAM GPS Foundation programming and activities are made possible by the generous support of our donors. Since it's inception in 2018, the foundation has given $153,000 in student scholarships and support services, developed robust workforce development and youth engagement programs through partnerships with One Future Coachella Valley and College of the Desert PaCE, and trained over 1,000 TEAM GPS ambassadors.
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What Is Visit Greater Palm Springs?
Visit Greater Palm Springs (VGPS) is the official tourism marketing agency for the nine-city Southern California oasis of Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio, and Coachella. Founded in 1989 with a mission to positively affect the destination’s tourism economy and quality of life for its citizens, the organization serves more than 3,000 business partners, providing sales, marketing and PR targeted to potential leisure travelers and event, meeting, and convention group markets.
If you look closely at our logo “bug” (below), you’ll see there are nine loops—one for each of the nine cities that make up Greater Palm Springs. Our mission is to grow the tourism economy for the whole destination, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for all its residents.
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Why Tourism Matters in Greater Palm Springs
Tourism is the region’s No. 1 industry, generating $9.6 billion in economic impact annually and supporting 1 in 4 jobs in 2025.
GPS Ambassadors is an initiative that unites our hospitality community toward a common goal: creating positive, unforgettable experiences for each and every visitor so they’ll make plans to return again, all of which ultimately helps support the local tourism economy and enhance residents’ standard of living.
Whether it’s a stress-free arrival at their hotel, an afternoon with top-tier drink service by the pool or a friendly smile at the door, every visitor’s first impression of Greater Palm Springs, and the travel experience they have while here, matters. And it starts with us.
