Newly-released tourism figures and the choice of Arizona to host the 2015 Super Bowl is fresh evidence that Arizona is not seeing a downturn due to the state’s tough stand on illegal immigration.

National Football League owners voted recently to bring Super Bowl XLIX to University of Phoenix Stadium in 2015. The Super Bowl brings hundreds of millions of dollars to our state’s economy.

“The benefits of the Super Bowl will be felt throughout the Phoenix area and the state,” says Senate President Russell Pearce. “We showed the world in 2008 we could host the big game here, and this vote was a strong endorsement of Arizona.”

“Critics of SB 1070 were shaking in fear that our tough stance on illegal immigration would cause visitors to turn their backs on our great state. Do you really think the NFL would award another Super Bowl to Arizona if this was the case? Let’s put an end to the myth about tourist boycotts. Look at the new numbers on tourism”, says President Pearce.

A report from Dean Runyan Associates shows travel spending in Arizona is up 7.9% from 2009. Gross sales at state hotels are up more than 12% from last year. Figures from Smith Travel Research show hotel occupancy inScottsdaleis up 4% from last year, and revenue per available hotel room up 8.6%.