Arizona’s vibrant culture, beautiful natural wonders, and incredible attractions have made the state a go-to destination for national and international visitors. In fact, despite the disruptions to travel caused by the pandemic, visitors to Arizona were responsible for more than $23 billion in direct spending and nearly $3.5 billion in tax revenue in 2021.
While we welcome visitors to our great state with open arms, we must also be vigilant about maintaining the safety and security of our guests and residents.
The Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association has been actively engaged in public education efforts to combat dangerous crimes such as human trafficking and illicit trade for many years. Unfortunately, these are large scale and sophisticated crimes that cannot be addressed overnight and require a robust response from local, state, federal and community leaders.
We are fortunate to have numerous partners in Arizona and nationally who provide data, best practices, and resources on these evolving crimes and who advise the hospitality industry on strategies to ensure our hoteliers don’t unwittingly become party to trafficking operations. The AZLTA has placed an elevated level of importance on training our industry employees on signs of human trafficking, involving everyone from our front of house staff to our house cleaners and in between. A comprehensive and collaborative response is needed to make a real impact.
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