Spring is in the air in Arizona – and that means spring training baseball, desert blooms, and plenty of Canadians. And while the former are annual rights of Spring, the latter is especially welcome news as the southern US state expects to at last surpass pre-pandemic numbers in 2024.

Lisa Urias, Cabinet Executive Officer & Executive Deputy Director, Arizona Office of Tourism, says 2023 came close, while noting that the significant flock of Canadian snowbirds who visit the Grand Canyon State are counted as part-time residents, not tourists.

With this in mind, Urias points out that the average age of Canadian visitors is 45, belying the perception that the demographic skews much older. In fact, she adds, “We are seeing more and more Canadians from all age groups visiting the state.”

And while Urias says the average household income of Canadians travelling to Arizona is just under $120k, she adds, “Canadians are savvy travellers, and many will use their loyalty points to quickly plan a trip.”

The tourism office further breaks down Canadian travel intentions as follows:

• Vacation/Holidays (70%)
• VFR (19%)
• Business (11%)

Urias adds, “Arizona is a sports mecca. From spring training, to hockey, to basketball, and football, we’re seeing more and more Canadians plan their trip around sporting activities.”

Not to mention a host of a host of active sporting opportunities, from tennis and pickleball to plenty of golf (over 300 courses) at all price points – all of which are afforded ample opportunities to participate under 330 annual days of sunshine.

Meanwhile, outdoor activities take on a life of their own, including walking and hiking on 3,240 trails. Some of the options include:

• Mountain biking can be found in many areas, but Sedona, Tucson, Prescott, and Southeastern Arizona are the most popular.
• White Water River rafting is available in the summer along the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, but another option is to take advantage of the whitewater rapids along the Salt River (during spring run-off).
• Off Highway Trails are managed by Arizona State Parks and Trails which is another greatway to get into the outdoors.
• ATV excursions without the summer crowds in Page, near the Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.
• Less arduous adventures include visiting Saguaro National Park in late spring to see the iconic saguaros (and desert) in bloom.
• Bird watching in southern Arizona in spring.

“Arizona has so much to offer,” says Urias, touting “unmatched diversity” – from history and Old West culture to food and wine (including Mexican flavours, and Tucson is an International UNESCO City of Gastronomy), geography, wellness (and luxury resorts), and indigenous culture (22 tribal nations call Arizona home).

Of course, there’s the Grand Canyon, located only four hours from metro Phoenix, where most Canadians start their visits.

Urias says the world-famous wonder isn’t as “crazy” (busy) as Yellowstone park, but prospective visitors should plan ahead, particularly to secure lodge accommodation and river rafting permits.

Other natural attractions include the scenic mountains near Phoenix, and deserts that are “beyond beautiful with colours like you’ve never seen,” enthuses Urias.

Naturally, ever-evolving Arizona will unveil a host of new attractions in 2024. Among them:

• The New Rockin’ River Ranch State Park, located about an hour from Phoenix, opened in February in Camp Verde with lots of hiking options.
• The First-Ever Mattel Adventure Park, which is scheduled to open in Glendale, will appeal to families with children.
• The are many “dark sky” opportunities in Arizona and come fall, the New Astronomy Discovery Center at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, the world’s first dark sky city, will open with interactive exhibits.

Travel trade

Urias says western Canadian are extremely familiar with the state, so the tourism office is casting is gaze eastward, reflecting an overall increase in investment in marketing to Canadians.

And she adds, “Our efforts to educate and engage Canadian tourists through travel agents have increased, particularly in response to the pandemic’s challenges. We understand that the travel landscape is evolving rapidly, and we want to ensure that Canadian travel advisors are engaged, motivated and well-equipped to adapt to these changes and continue promoting Arizona as a premier destination.”

To that end, Urias cites multiple initiatives for the trade:

• The Arizona Specialist Program enables Canadian travel agents to become a certified travel agent in the destination. Travel agents can enroll HERE.
• Regular webinars and in-person trainings cover a wide range of topics related to Arizona’s offerings. Travel agents and tour operators can also reach out to the Travel Trade team at Global Marketing & Sales to schedule a destination training.
• Monthly newsletters create awareness of Arizona’s attractions, experiences and tourist product offering, targeted specifically to each market’s audience.
• The tourism office has partnered with ACTA (Association of Canadian Travel Advisors) on a “Destination Spotlight” Program to engage travel advisors through curated content marketing.
• FAM trips for travel agents are an integral part of our annual plan.

• Arizona’s annual Sales Mission to Canada will take place in late March.

Additionally, Urias says, the tourism office has a strong B2B Sales & Product Development program in place that aims to develop new product with tour operators “to resonate the market needs and passions.”

She concludes, “Our collaborative efforts with OTAs, tour operators, and airlines planned for Q1 and Q2 of 2024, will generate more demand with consumers, but will also bring more opportunities for travel agents, such as incentives and rewards. Through strategic marketing campaigns, special package deals, and increased visibility on various distribution platforms, we’ll see a notable increase in consumer interest and inquiries, as well as bookings.”