Arizona works to attract more tourists from Central Mexico as tourism to the U.S. declines
Arizona works to attract more tourists from Central Mexico as tourism to the U.S. declines
Foreign visitors to the United States are on the decline after six straight years of growth, according to the Department of Commerce. Mexico is the U.S.’s second main source of visitors, but the number of travelers from there to the U.S. fell about 7.5 percent in September 2017, compared to the previous year. Some states are working to keep Mexican tourists coming, like Arizona. “Mexico is our number one international market. Mexican travelers spend a lot of money,” said Scott Dunn, senior director of communications for the Arizona Office of Tourism.
Correction (June 5, 2018): An earlier audio version of this story incorrectly stated the percentage of the $21 billion spent by visitors to Arizona in 2016 that was attributable to Mexican tourists. The correct amount spent by Mexican tourists that year was less than 3 percent of total visitor spending, according to estimates from the Arizona Office of Tourism.
Click the audio player above to hear the full story.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
