The Economic Impact of Arizona’s Sports and Tourism Sector featuring Kim Sabow and Glenn Farley

The Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority estimated the impact of hosting the Super Bowl in 2015 to be $719.4 million. By all accounts, the upcoming 2023 event should be even larger. The entire sector of sports and tourism in Arizona, however, adds billions of dollars and thousands of jobs annually and independent of major events like the Super Bowl. This brief will give an overview of the impact the whole sports and tourism sector has on Arizona’s economy throughout the year and its prospects for future growth.

• $24.2 billion: Contribution of the sports and tourism sector to Arizona’s Real Gross Domestic Product in 2022 (6.4% of the state’s economy).
• $13.7 billion: Direct sales by Arizona’s hotels, casinos, 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 and tourism sector, or 11% of the state’s total workforce.
• 3.0%: Projected average annual growth rate of the sector over the next decade.

Sports and tourism, as a sector composed of various shares of NAICS classification industries, is no small share of the Arizona economy, and recognizing the impact of these industries can help encourage the adoption of public policy that enables the continued growth and development of this area. You can read our report on the total economic impact here.

On this episode of Common Sense Digest, Host and Chairman Earl Wright welcomes Kim Sabow, President & CEO of Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association, and Glenn Farley CSI Arizona's Director of Policy and Research to discuss CSI's recent report, how big a share of the state economy is comprised of sports and tourism, and their wish list for policymakers to embolden and grow the industry. 

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