TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — State tourism officials say spending by tourists and other overnight visitors to Arizona dropped by 10.2 percent in 2009 from the year before.
The Office of Tourism released annual industry data on Tuesday at the 30th Annual Governor's Conference on Tourism being held at a Tucson resort.
According to the office, 35.3 million domestic and international overnight travelers visited Arizona in 2009, spending $16.6 billion.
The office says the spending decline in 2009 was expected and attributes it to the national economy and concerns related to swine flu and what the office called "negative perceptions" about holding business meetings and conventions at resorts.
The tourism office says the airline industry's reduced capacity also hurt.
