The Phoenix area economy is on track to break records with many major events taking place in the city

GLENDALE, Arizona. – It’s no secret that the Valley is the place to be for sporting events and live music, but this year’s mega-lineup has multiplied benefits for the local economy.

Of course, the final statistics for 2023 are not yet available, but forecasts predict that it will be a record year.

It follows last year in 2022 when there was a surge.

According to the Arizona Office of Tourism, there have been more than 40 million visitors to Arizona. They spent $28 billion — that’s $77 million a day.

Why the Phoenix Area Economy is On Track to Break Records

“We in Arizona are absolutely known for having the sunniest days in the country, but that also means we’re very comfortable in the spotlight,” said Josh Coddington of the Arizona Office of Tourism.

From that super bowl and WM Phoenix Open for concerts galore. The valley has seen a rebirth since the pandemic hiatus.

“We have great hotels throughout the valley and multiple venues throughout the valley. This shows that we can not only handle one Beyoncé event, but also multiple events of the largest scale at the same time,” said Coddington.

The State Farm Stadium in Glendale alone has attracted millions of locals and visitors.

Taylor Swift recently kicked off her Eras Tour, last week to the Beyoncé concert and now this weekend’s Metallica double night feature.

Kevin Phelps, Glendale City Manager, says that recent concerts have not only sold out tickets but hotel rooms too.

“The stadium shows have exploded. Obviously, arenas have always been a mainstay in the concert business, but these mega stadium shows really came out of nowhere,” he said. “People don’t get fed up and go to the concert and leave after it’s over. They come here, get a hotel room, have breakfast, lunch and dinner, go to the concert, come back, go back to Westgate and the venues close.

Local restaurants like Pizza Old Roma in downtown Glendale are feeling the extra foot traffic.

Beyoncé: Fans gather in Glendale for her concert

Phoenix is ​​one of the cities on Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour, and on August 24, fans of the music legend gathered at State Farm Stadium as the tour rolled into town. FOX 10’s Lauren Clark reports.

“We’re pretty busy. We like that. We are a place run by the local community. I know most of my clients by their first names,” said Tyler Mada. “But I’ve noticed that with the upswing in the concerts, we’ve gotten a lot of similar people, just a different set of people.”

He has noticed that many more customers come from or attend these major events.

“It’s cool. It brings new people to downtown Glendale, which I think is a positive,” Mada said. “I’m adding new names to my list of people I want to meet.”

The Glendale City Manager says that along with the increase in visitor numbers, there has also been an increase in the number of people who have moved to Glendale.

In fact, he says, many choose to live within a few miles of the stadium because of all the events.