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Men's Final Four tournament in AZ brought in big bucks
PHOENIX - Powerhouse sporting events continue to bring big bucks to Arizona.
The NCAA Men's Final Four this past spring brought in more than $429 million for the state. The tournament, along with themed events, took over Phoenix and beyond.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs announced $21.2 million in sales tax was poured into the Valley in one weekend alone.
"Major sporting events are incredible tourism drivers for Arizona," said Lisa Urias of the Arizona Office of Tourism.
The ASU Seidman Research Institute study shows 360,000 travelers flew into Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport for the Final Four weekend with events spanning across six Valley cities.
"$12 million to the state, $2.2 million for Maricopa County and more than $7 million for our cities and towns," Hobbs said of the $21.2 million.
Nearly 60% of visitors attended the Final Four games.
"No ticket, no problem," Urias said. "They came to visit Arizona anyway, and can we blame them?"
Over 68,000 visitors had tickets to semifinal games, staying about four nights on average and spending over $480 per person per day. Over 37,000 people came to town for the national championship game alone, staying in town two nights and spending over $550 a day.
"The 2024 Men’s Final Four once again shows that when it comes to hosting major sporting events, nobody does it better than Arizona," Hobbs remarked.
She says this creates revenue for small businesses and jobs. The study says the event created 3,374 short-term jobs, and $153.2 million in labor income was created, putting the Valley in a position to host future events.
The Valley is set to host the Women’s Final Four in 2026 and the NBA All Star game in 2027.