Arizona’s tourism will reach post-pandemic highs in 2022, with visitor spending reaching more than $28 billion.

The Arizona Department of Tourism reports that tourists spent about $77 million each day across the state last year. Tourist spending is up nearly 20% compared to 2021, approaching a record 2019 for statewide tourism indicators.

Josh Coddington of the tourism office says Arizona is very popular for outdoor activities.

“It’s one of the things people come to our state all the time,” he said. “You can also go hiking and camping.”

He says there are more local attractions as well as famous attractions such as the Grand Canyon.

“Tucson and southern Arizona have most of the Arizona wine regions, and they’re popular,” he said. “Of course there’s cooking and food. We all know Tucson is great with food.”

Tourism is one of Arizona’s main economic drivers, and all key tourism data, including overnight visitors, tourist spending, taxes collected, jobs created, and tourism wages surpassed

According to the report, Arizona’s tourism tax revenue will generate nearly $4 billion in 2022 from federal, state, and local taxes to support services such as health care, public safety, and transportation. Nearly 500 million of these occurred in Pima County.