Arizona’s wine tourism industry has seen explosive growth during the past decade, headlined by an astounding 677% increase in wine experience-driven visitor spending and a 500% leap in wine-related employment since 2011, according to a recent study of Arizona’s wine tourism industry conducted for the Arizona Office of Tourism by the Economic Policy Institute at Northern Arizona University
Further, the state’s 156 wine producers today represent a 200% increase since 2011, when there were 52. The tremendous growth of Arizona’s wine industry can be attributed to several factors, including promoting the state’s unique grape-growing regions, development of Arizona’s wine-industry workforce, the proliferation of tasting rooms and visit-ready vineyards, and increasing promotion of Arizona wine country tourism experiences by AOT and others.
“The spectacular growth of Arizona’s wine industry over the past decade-plus shows what happens when you combine an amazing place to live, unique grape growing conditions, and fearless winemakers,” said Governor Katie Hobbs. “Our flourishing grape and wine industry will continue to be a point of pride for Arizona and an important part of our state’s agribusiness and agritourism sectors.”
The study, which sampled nearly 1,700 people who either attended an Arizona wine festival or visited in-state wineries and tasting rooms, also examined how wine experience-driven travelers impact the regions they visit.
Approximately 35% of all survey respondents said they used attending a wine festival as an opportunity to visit other areas around the festival. Additionally, around 40% of all survey respondents take a day trip to wineries or festivals, while about 30% stay for two or three nights.
Among the three main wine-producing regions (AVAs) in Arizona, visitors spend the most in the Verde Valley ($109 per night), followed by approximately $70 per night in the other two, Willcox and Sonoita.
The study also revealed a high level of satisfaction with Arizona wine experiences from both people who visited wineries directly and those who visited wine festivals. These experiences met or exceeded the expectations of 96% of survey respondents.
“In Arizona, we love surprising our visitors with the unexpected, and we get to do that by both highlighting the award-winning wines produced here and sharing the stories of the places and people who create them,” said Lisa Urias, CEO of the Arizona Office of Tourism. “We’re proud to continue to support our wine industry through investment in wine tourism marketing.”
Additionally, about 94% of festival goers indicated it is likely they would recommend an Arizona wine festival to a friend.
