Steven Totten | Phoenix Business Journal
2016 was another strong year for tourism in Arizona, one of the state’s largest industries and its No. 1 export-oriented industry.
Forty-three million domestic and international overnight visitors came to Arizona last year, and spent $21.2 billion.
“It was another strong year for tourism in Arizona. We saw all-time highs in visitor volume, direct spending and employment earnings — all of which is good news for Arizona’s economy,” said Debbie Johnson, director of the Arizona Office of Tourism. “We also saw positive effects from advertising efforts in our target markets. Research told us we could increase market share in cities like Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco, and that’s just what we did.”