For travelers unaware, there's a whole lot more to the Grand Canyon state than its namesake national park.
The proof is in the numbers. Arizona's Office of Tourism revealed record-breaking tourist figures last week, showing 2014 to be a memorable year for the state's key industry, HavasuNews.com reported.
The tourism office said that Arizona hosted 40.7 million domestic and international overnight visitors last year, representing an increase of more than four percent over 2013. What's more, the office's data showed direct travel spending generated a whopping $20.9 billion throughout the state. To put that number in perspective, it breaks down to roughly $57 million per day.
In addition to the mighty financial impact, the tourism industry was responsible for 171,500 jobs created through direct travel spending, signaling an increase of close to four percent over the previous year.
Plus, direct travel spending generated $5.9 billion in employment earnings and $2.8 billion in federal, state and local tax revenue, per HavasuNews.com. The latter figure marked a nearly three percent increase over the previous year.
"These are incredible results for Arizona and validates the importance of this industry in our state," said the state's Office of Tourism director Sherry Henry via HavasuNews.com. "Tourism impacts all 15 counties in Arizona by generating thousands of jobs, billions in earnings and billions in taxes for our citizens."
Based on 2014's impressive numbers, 2015 projects to be a banner year for the state. After all, Glendale, Arizona, played host to Super Bowl XLIX this past February, which drew hundreds of thousands of visitors.
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