PHOENIX, AZ. (MAY 15, 2020) –– The most recent weekly Arizona tourism data shows hotel occupancy in the Phoenix region at 30.7% for the week of May 3 - May 9, which is down 57% year-over-year, but up nearly 1 percentage point over last week. Phoenix has the 8th highest occupancy rate among the Top 25 U.S. markets.

View weekly Occupancy chart here.

Additionally, Revenue Per Available Room, or RevPAR, for the week in Phoenix was down 76% over the same week last year. This is in line with the national figure of 74%. RevPAR, which is used industry-wide, is the most comprehensive measure of lodging performance.

“The data this week shows that the re-energization of Arizona’s tourism industry is happening in small, incremental steps, as it should,” said Debbie Johnson, Director of the Arizona Office of Tourism. “With hotel pools, fitness centers and spa services reopening this week, we expect these metrics to continue a slow but steady move in a positive direction.”

Arizona drive traffic shows strong weekly increase
Arizonans are traveling away from home 47% less now than they did prior to the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. However, recent week-over-week data measured on May 12 shows car travel by Arizonans is up 9%, an increase of 4.7 percentage points over last week. The Arrivalist Daily Travel Index, which measures this data through the movement of cars, defines a visitor as someone who travels at least 50 miles outside their home area. The initial phase of AOT’s tourism recovery plan encourages residents and those in close drive markets to take road trips to help them (re)discover Arizona.

Travelers altering trips decreases slightly
As of May 6, 2020, 77% of American travelers with trips planned in the next six months said they’ll change their travel plans due to COVID-19, which is down slightly from 79% the prior week. This data is from a weekly survey of American Travelers, conducted by Longwoods International.

The Arizona Office of Tourism intends to provide this data on a weekly basis to help paint an accurate picture of the challenges facing Arizona’s tourism industry, which employed 192,000 Arizonans and contributed $1 billion to the state’s budget in 2018, and to track its recovery as a critical driver of Arizona’s economy.

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Media Contact: Josh Coddington, (480) 438-4700, [email protected]

 

About the Arizona Office of Tourism
The Arizona Office of Tourism works to strengthen and grow Arizona's economy through travel and tourism promotion, positioning Arizona as the leading tourism destination for domestic and international travelers. Tourism is a key industry that provides positive economic impacts to every community, city and county across the state.