Arizona tourism numbers were robust in 2007

Tourists flocked to Arizona in record numbers last year, and they spent a lot of money while they were here.

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In 2007, 35.2 million visitors showed up in the Grand Canyon state, about 2 million of them traveling from outside the United States. That's a 4.4percent boost from the number of 2006 tourists, said Margie Emmermann, director of the Arizona Office of Tourism.

And the visitors spent $19.3billion while they were enjoying Arizona, 3.2 percent more than they spent in 2006, Emmermann announced Thursday during the Governor's Conference on Tourism in Tucson.

"Tourism is a steady blue-chip industry that continues to grow," Emmermann said.

The news was nearly all good last year, with older, more affluent tourists coming in greater numbers.

"We were strong on the boomer side," Emmermann said. "But we know 2008 will be more challenging."

There were some omens in the statistics.

The number of local jobs directly related to tourism dropped slightly in 2007.

The number of Canadian visitors to Arizona slipped, as well, for the first time, said AnnDee Johnson, the tourism agency's director of research.

And that's despite the fact that the Canadian dollar was, and is still, increasing in value. Canadian visits to the United States overall were up nearly 18 percent last year.

Johnson chalked up Arizona's trend-bucking to several possible scenarios - among them the need to get a passport to cross the border by air, while those driving across can enter with a driver's license.

That could discourage many from flying to Arizona and encourage others who bother to obtain a passport to check out more exotic warm-weather destinations such as Caribbean or South Pacific islands, Johnson said.

Also a possible factor, she said, is that Arizona hotels and resorts have kept average daily room rates high while other U.S. destinations, especially Florida, offered big discounts.

As airlines cut flights in the face of soaring fuel costs, that can affect all international travel to Arizona in the future, Johnson said. Currently there is only one daily overseas flight to and from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. That's not enough to boost the international business, she said.

Emmermann said while there has been a noticeable softening of Arizona's tourism industry so far this year, it's based on the economy and will not have the long-lasting impact that followed the one-two punch of recession followed by terrorist attacks that made people fearful to fly at all in 2001 and 2002.

Emmermann said Arizona tourism will rebound in the long haul, and for the short term, she plans to focus on attracting more local and nearby states' residents.

2007 Arizona tourism at a glance:

35.2 million total visitors

$19.3 billion total spending

171,500 local tourism jobs

2 million were international visitors

9.9 million of the domestic tourists were Arizona residents traveling within the state. Their average age is 47 years, and average household income is $78,400. They stayed away from home an average of two nights, and 89 percent traveled by car.

Of the 23.3 million nonresident domestic tourists, the average age is 49 years, and average household income is $82,900. They stayed in Arizona an average of 4.4 nights, and 57 percent arrived by car.