While tourist and spending numbers were still shy of pre-pandemic levels, Arizona tourism officials were not complaining about the report for 2021.
Neetish Basnet Cronkite News National parks in Arizona welcomed 10.7 million visitors who pumped $1.12 billion into local economies in 2021, both sharp increases from the pandemic-induced lows of the year before, according to the National Park Service.
In Arizona, the number of visitors in 2021 was down from 12.5 million in 2019, when the amount spent by tourists was $1.3 billion. But both of the 2021 numbers were a vast improvement over the intervening year, when COVID-19 pushed visitors down to 7.6 million and spending on gas, lodging, food and more to $711 million.
That Grand Canyon did not match the surges posted by other parks in the region is “not concerning, at all,” said Brian Drapeaux, deputy superintendent for the Grand Canyon National Park. Considering the tight travel restrictions and health safety concerns, the 4.5 million Grand Canyon National Park visitors in 2021 are “still really amazing numbers,” Drapeaux said.
The park service report ranked Arizona sixth among states for visitor spending and fifth for the total economic output from its national parks. It said Arizona’s 22 national park sites generated $1.8 billion in economic output and supported 16,074 jobs that paid $627.6 million in salaries. The diverse landscape and natural wonders Arizona offers will continuously bring tourism dollars to the state, Coddington said.
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