Arizona may be the Grand Canyon State, but travel professionals learned there’s a lot more going in the southern state when the Arizona Office of Tourism team, headed by Marjorie Magnusson, hosted a recent event downtown Vancouver.

The theme of the event was “Rediscover Arizona’s Wonders,” as if the wonder of the Canyon itself was not enough. To be fair, though, the Canyon is millions of years old, and guests were there to learn about more contemporary offerings. Such as:

Tuscon

Cindy Aguilar of Visit Tucson revealed that downtown Tucson is undergoing a renaissance with new hotels, including a new Hilton, and the Barrio Viejo neighbourhood’s nomination as a National Historic Landmark. The city was designated the first UNESCO City of Gastronomy in the United States in 2015. It is known for wine, being close to the Sonoita/Elgin and Willcox American Viticultural Areas, and is a Dark Sky City.

Around Phoenix

When it comes to rediscovering Arizona, the area around Metro Phoenix leads to some pretty fabulous places: the nearby suburbs of Mesa, Salt River, Gilbert, and Glendale are large and well-developed, with family-friendly vibes and emerging nightlife scenes.

“We’ve only been promoting for about five years,” said Glenn Schlottman, Tourism Administrator for the town of Gilbert, dubbed ‘Phoenix’s coolest suburb.’ “We’ve gone from three to 30 restaurants in the last 10 years and we’ve doubled our hotels in the past five years. We’re getting in the game.”

Meanwhile Glendale is known for sports and entertainment, according to Sarah Cunningham, National Sales Manager of Glendale Convention & Visitors Bureau. It has a 24-hectare VAI resort with its own beach and party island, concert stage, nightclub, and the world’s first Mattel Adventure Park, tricked out with a three-storey Barbie dreamhouse and another world first – an electric train ride from Thomas the Tank Engine.

Mesa

Mesa, just outside of Phoenix and the third-largest city in Arizona, is recognized for its wonderful food. “It’s the nation’s best ‘agrihood’ and it has the largest pub crawl in the United States,” said Michelle Streeter, Chief Communications and Content Officer at Visit Mesa. “Mesa’s a growing golf and culinary destination, most recently with the award-winning Fresh Foodie Trail. It’s very popular with Canadian visitors and snowbirds (there is no property tax) and it’s the spring training ground for the Chicago Cubs and the Oakland A’s.”

Salt River

Art and inspiration can be found throughout the Talking Stick Entertainment District in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. The USS Arizona Memorial Gardens honours the memory of the battleship and those who fought bravely during the attack on Pearl Harbour. With Native American cultural and art market events from October through March, Salt River’s the place to discover Arizona Indian Country in a whole new way.

Northern Arizona & the Grand Canyon

With its otherworldly geology, dramatically hued tribal lands, and abundance of national parks and monuments, Northern Arizona is a big draw for outdoorsy types and adventure lovers, and visiting the Grand Canyon is an absolute must. Williams is the gateway to the Canyon – and taking the vintage Grand Canyon Railway from Williams gets our vote. Passengers leave Williams and arrive at Grand Canyon Village with three hours to explore the sights and vistas before returning to Williams, where a night at the elegant Grand Canyon Railway Hotel completes the experience.

Canada’s got a lot of lift into Arizona, and it’s just a three-hour flight from Vancouver to Phoenix. That makes Western Canada a key market, and Vancouver is where the Arizona Office of Tourism decided to pick up its promotional tour after visiting Montreal before the pandemic.

“Now that things are more normal, we’ll be heading back to Toronto and Montreal through Western Canada, one city each year, and we’re happy to be starting again here in Vancouver,” said Marjorie Magnusson, Arizona Office of Tourism Media Relations Manager.