Last year, tourists in Arizona spent almost as much as they did in years prior to the pandemic, according to a study commissioned by the state’s Office of Tourism.

Overnight visitors spent more than $28 billion last year, an increase of about $4.5 billion from 2021.

2022’s figures were about 6% lower than spending before the COVID-19 pandemic when factoring for inflation.

Lisa Urias, director of the Office of Tourism, says the spending during the Super Bowl, which Arizona hosted in February, will likely bring figures even higher in 2023.

“Our projections now are just that the numbers will continue to increase, and I think it’s important to note that it also drives significant revenue for our local state and federal taxes," Urias says. 

The biggest share of tourism spending came from domestic visitors. About 30% of that was from Arizonans themselves, with the next largest share coming from Californians.