PHOENIX — In an effort to position Arizona to lure back visitors eager for post-vaccination travel, the state will set aside more than $100 million in federal funds for a new initiative to support the recovery of the state’s tourism industry.
Gov. Doug Ducey said the Visit Arizona Initiative will use federal American Rescue Plan funds earmarked for pandemic recovery to help the state’s tourism industry rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on travel.
“When visitors from across the globe travel to our great state, they stay in our hotels, eat at our restaurants, buy our products and enjoy our recreational activities. Their investments benefit Arizonans, and the Visit Arizona Initiative will help our tourism sector prosper — and continue to recover from the effects of the pandemic,” Ducey said in a news release about the initiative.
Among them is the Outdoor Tourism Revitalization program, which will offer $16 million in grants to help golf courses, trails and outdoor attractions bring visitors to Arizona. The Legacy Golf Revitalization program will help older golf courses modernize, with priority given to courses that improve water conservation and sustainability.
The agency has a page dedicated to the initiative at tourism.az.gov/grants.
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