How Arizonans helped lead the state’s tourism rebound

The Arizona Office of Tourism released its yearly stats for 2020. Despite seeing how the pandemic impacted the industry, numbers show how Arizonans help lead the state’s tourism rebound.

We talked with Debbie Johnson, the Executive Director at the Arizona Office of Tourism about it all. She said tourism is coming back strong.

She said the Arizona residents helped bring tourism back. She said they will focus and work on certain areas when it com times.

There is a lot of small businesses that make their money on tourism. It is not just the big resorts, she said, there are too many small businesses in the area that rely on tourism, as well.

There are so many places in Arizona that people can visit comfortably because of the wide-open spaces and beautiful areas for camping.

She explains some of the federal money that came in and how it helped the industry. They were able to create very unique programs, and they were also able to create a sustainability plan. She explains where the money will go and how much will be given out.

She explains that the relief money really helped keep a lot of businesses stay afloat and “keep the lights on”. She said they were really grateful to be able to help the business stay afloat.

We ask if the pandemic has changed the paradigm of tourism in general. She said right now it definitely has. She said as things keep opening up, the tourism industry will only get better.