Arizona Tourism Industry

Railroad construction crossed Southern Arizona in 1881 and Northern Arizona in 1883. This opened an opportunity by the Fred Harvey Company and Santa Fe Railway to market tours of Pueblo Indian Villages in New Mexico and Hopi Villages in Arizona. Harvey’s most notable, lasting efforts to increase Arizona tourism is at the El Tovar Hotel that opened in 1905.

Another popular place of tourism near the Grand Canyon is The Grand Canyon Hotel. Built in 1891, the hotel is considered the oldest in the state still in operation. With The Grand Canyon being declared a national park in 1919, the wealthy and those afflicted with allergies or lung ailments, flocked to Arizona. Prior to 2004, it remained vacant for 30 years. It was bought and renovated by a couple, Oscar and Amy Frederickson.

By the 1920’s, automobile tourism became popular as factories began offering two-weeks paid time off. In Arizona, auto camps and motor hotels were built every few miles along Route 66.

At the height of their popularity, there were 13 dude ranches in Arizona. Now, that number is down to four, as many of the establishments closed, reverted back to private family homes, or taken on the needs of other industries. For example, Slash Bar K Ranch transitioned into The Meadows, a treatment center for addiction and trauma.

One guest ranch still in operation is the Flying E Ranch, a 19,500-acre working ranch that transitioned into a dude ranch in 1946. Originally having eight guest rooms, it later expanded to have 17 rooms and two family homes. The establishment typically attracts repeat customers.

The Westward Lookout Resort in Tucson, which was originally built as a family home in 1912, transitioned into a guest ranch in the 1920’s and evolved once again in the 1960’s, when it became Tucson’s first resort. In addition to deluxe accommodations, luxurious golf and spa activities, the resort also encourages guests to engage in recreational tourism through its nature programs, which include horseback riding and hiking trails.

In the late 1980’s, Sedona became a popular city for tourists not just for its red mountain scenery, but because it was decided that Sedona had more metaphysical spiritual centers than anywhere else in the world; people flocked to Sedona to discern this phenomena for themselves, and it continues to draw tourists in today.

In Glendale, tourism is popular due to the importance of sports. After Westgate City center and the University of Phoenix Stadium opened, the number of Glendale’s hotels doubled as its occupancy more than tripled.