As Super Bowl LVII descends on Arizona, a new report from the non-partisan Common Sense Institute finds that the total impact of the state’s sports and tourism sector is significant – a total of $24.1 billion in Gross Domestic Product and hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Moreover, this important industry – 11 percent of our workforce and 6.4 percent of total economic activity – is only expected to grow over the next several years, buoyed in part by this week’s Super Bowl in Glendale.
Some of the reports key findings:
- $24.2 billion: Contribution of the sports & tourism sector to Arizona’s Real Gross Domestic Product in 2022.
- $13.7 billion: Direct sales by Arizona’s hotels, casinos, sports and other professional performance venues, and other components of the state’s sports & tourism sector in 2022.
- 347,500: Number of people directly and indirectly employed by Arizona’s sports & tourism sector, or 11% of the state’s total workforce.
- 3.0%: Projected average annual growth rate of the sector over the next decade.
“Arizona’s moderate climate, excellent hospitality industry and major event spaces have made it a magnate tourism destination,” said Katie Ratlief, Executive Director of the Common Sense Institute. “This growing sector is a massive contributor to our economy, and big events like this weekend’s Super Bowl will only continue the momentum. Arizona’s hospitality industry is truly the ‘welcome mat’ for millions of visitors to our state.”
“Arizona’s sports and tourism industry has been through a lot of challenges over the past three years,” said Kim Sabow, Vice Chair of the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority Board. “Thanks to our operators and our dedicated employees, we’ve come out the other side stronger. This weekend is an opportunity to highlight the value and contributions of our industry to an international audience, and CSI’s report shows that this is an industry that has a massive ripple effect across all of Arizona.”
Read the full report here.
