Industry welcomed 42 million visitors last year.
Arizona Tourism Is Up
Arizona’s travel industry saw “exceptionally strong growth” during 2015, according to a new study from the Arizona Office of Tourism.
More than 42 million people visited the state in 2015, up from 40.7 million in 2014.
The travel industry directly earned $21 billion in 2015, an increase of 1.3 percent from the previous year, according to the study. The report points out that figure would likely have been even higher if not for low gas prices. Domestic air travel to Arizona and the amount spent on lodging both increased during 2015 as well.
Those are all good signs for the Grand Canyon State, which owes $8.8 billion of its GDP to the travel industry.
The boon in Arizona tourism bumped the travel and tourism industry to the top of the state’s “export-oriented” industries, directly generating more than 179,000 jobs and impacting 154,000 others throughout the state, according to the report.
Nearly $3 billion in state, local, and federal tax revenue dollars were added to the state coffers, the equivalent of $1,180 for every household in the state.
Phoenix and Central Arizona accounted for the majority of lodging sales for the year—larger than all the other regions combined.
