Scottsdale's Vibrant Tourism Industry Continues Through Fall

Scottsdale is home to one of the most vibrant tourism industry’s in the country, it
continues to flourish through the fall season as festivities take place and crowds of tourists are
back in Scottsdale and with it bringing in much-needed revenue.

Scottsdale's Tourism and Event Department recently reported that as of Sept. 2022, the
tourism industry employs 27,000 people and experiences an estimated 11 million tourists annually, contributing nearly $3 billion to the local economy and generating a significant amount to the annual tax revenue.

“Visitors generate more than $38 million of annual tax revenue— representing
about one in every five city sales tax dollars,” reads the recent Tourism and Events Department’s
report from April 2022.

The city hosts many large events such as the Waste Management Phoenix Open, the
Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction and the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show; however, many
smaller events take place throughout the year that attracts crowds and have an economic impact.

Many fall festivities are taking place in Scottsdale this season. Dia de Los Muertos,
MacDonald's Ranch Pumpkin Patch, the Wicked Ball Never After, Yelloween at W Scottsdale,
the Spooktacular Balloon Festival, Halloween Spook-Track-Ula and Happy Howl-o-ween at
Southwest Wildlife are just some of the events that will take place in Scottsdale this fall. Some
of these events are not sponsored by the City of Scottsdale but still impact the city.

“Some events aren’t necessarily ‘City-Sponsored’ events but they still bring people
and money to the city,” said Parks and Recreation Manager Kevin McKee when asked about
fall festivities in Scottsdale.

City Statistics estimate that when people attend festivities this fall that overnight visitors
will spend $290 per-person and day trip tourists spend roughly $70 per person daily, said
McKee.
With so many people constantly visiting the city, The Scottsdale Police Department
works with community and business leaders to determine staffing for events.

“We establish and maintain great working relationships with community and business
partners and get to be part of the safety planning for many of the larger events. We get information from the business community about how large their events might be, and then make staffing adjustments if needed,” said Scottsdale Police Department Public Information Officer Aaron Bolin in an interview.

This also includes adding officers to areas where large crowds gather.

“We do see more people in Scottsdale in Old Town and the Entertainment District due to the block parties and extra activities the nightclubs host in those areas. We will normally up-staff with extra officers to maintain safety in and around those areas during holiday weekends throughout the year,” said Bolin.

During the holiday season and fall festivities, the Entertainment District is occasionally permitted to extend its bars into Indian Plaza to accommodate these larger crowds, said Tourism and Events Director Karen Churchard.

The tourism industry in Scottsdale will continue to host large events and crowds in a manner that is safe and authorized by the Scottsdale PD as people gather for festivities this fall and throughout the holiday season.