Arizona sets tourism records in 2018 for number of visitors and dollar spent here

Arizona enjoyed record numbers of travelers and travel-related spending in 2018, state officials announced Tuesday at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Tucson.

Travelers to Arizona spent $24.4 billion in 2018 — $67 million per day and 8% more than the previous record set in 2017, the Office of Tourism said.

Overall, Arizona counted a record-breaking 45.4 million overnight visitors last year, eclipsing the 43.9 million travelers tracked the previous year, according to research performed for the state by Dean Runyan Associates, Longwoods International and Tourism Economics.

“That’s like importing the entire populations of Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Montana and Wyoming into our state over the course of a year,” said Debbie Johnson, director of the Arizona Office of Tourism.

“Obviously, that has a tremendously positive impact on local economies across Arizona.”

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