(The Center Square) – Josh Coddington, the Arizona Office of Tourism’s communications director, says he’s unsure if the recent immigration rules the Trump administration implemented for Canadians will impact tourism.
Coddington told The Center Square that it will be tough to tell until the policy is implemented, but stressed the importance of Canadians to the state’s economy.
Earlier this month, the U.S. announced new immigration rules for Canadians visiting for more than 30 days. Anyone over 14 years old must submit their fingerprints and register with the American government.
This rule takes effect on April 11.
Coddington said he wouldn’t assume that if this rule were implemented, Arizona would see fewer Canadians coming and visiting the state.
”We are always looking at data to help inform our decisions and how we market Arizona or where we market Arizona to,” he said.
However, Coddington added that anything that results in fewer Canadians visiting Arizona “is going to have an impact” on the state.
Canada is “Arizona’s second biggest source market for international visitors” behind Mexico, Coddington said
In 2023, Arizona hosted 822,500 overnight visitors from Canada, who spent $775 million while in the state, he said.
These economic numbers show that Canadians are important to Arizona, Coddington said.
“We love Canadians. We love that they visit our state,” he said.
Sarah Doyle, director of communications for Visit Phoenix, told The Center Square that due to reporting delays, it would take the tourism nonprofit “a few months” before it could “accurately measure any potential delays.”
“At this time, we have no current data suggesting significant changes or cancellations. Canadians remain a vital part of our tourism economy, and we remain optimistic that they will continue to visit Arizona,” she explained in an email.
She added that in 2023, more than 1.6 million international visitors came to the Phoenix-Metro International area and spent over $1.3 billion.
Canadians accounted for “more than 40% of these visitors, with over 675,000 traveling to the region and contributing more than $546 million to the local economy,” Doyle said.
Coddington said Canadians are “important visitors.” He added that Canadians who visit for an extended period in the winter “resemble residents” due to their economic impact.
Sometimes these Canadians have a second home or car in Arizona, Coddington said.
In addition, he said these Canadians are doing things that Arizona residents do, such as going to the supermarket, buying gas, eating out and enjoying outdoor activities.
“Their impact is pretty strong,” Coddington said.
According to Coddington, Arizona’s central and southern regions get many Canadian visitors.
Arizona’s relationship with Canada will be “continuously maintained,” Coddington said. He cited an example of some people in the state’s tourism industry going up to Canada to meet with representatives from their tourism industry last month.
He said the February trip was scheduled before the Trump administration implemented these new rules.
“Our appreciation for [Canadians] has never wavered or changed, and we continually want to welcome them here,” Coddington said.
Doyle echoed a similar sentiment.
“We hope the situation continues to evolve positively and appreciate the ongoing support, looking forward to welcoming Canadian visitors for years to come,” she said.
