Cold weather on the East Coast during a normal winter brings tourists to Arizona. This winter has seen record-breaking amounts of snow, which makes the unseasonably warm temperatures in Arizona even more desirable.
Scottsdale saw an increase of more than 5 percent in resort and hotel occupancy since last year for the month of January.
"Visitation from January through April is some of the most important months of the year for tourism in Scottsdale," said Megan Doyle with the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. "That’s why we’re hitting these cities so hard with warm messaging, because visitors generate more than 50 percent of bed tax revenue during those first four months of the year."
These numbers don’t include February, which would reflect the dramatic temperature drop on the east coast as well as the record-setting lows Florida is experiencing, with below freezing temperatures.