A new study reports 3.99 million tourists came to Tucson and spent at least one night here in 2006, leaving behind nearly $2.3 billion for the local economy. And who do we have to thank for all of these visitors? You can pat yourselves on the back as the reason about half the visitors came.

Visiting friends and relatives is a key driver in why tourists come Tucson. The study found that 55 percent of tourists cited that as a reason, which is 1½ times national norms. It also far out-distanced the second highest reason, the 15 percent who said they were here on a general vacation.

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The study, done for the Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau (MTCVB) and released Friday (Jan. 25), is good news for the region said Jonathan Walker, president and CEO of the bureau.

"This is another clear indication tourism is one of the most important drivers when it comes to economic impact and for the jobs it creates," Walker said. "The thing to remember is this is outside money, we don’t have to rely on our own citizens for this revenue."

He also said the study, the first done since 2002, shows the local tourism industry has rebounded well since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Walker says it’s a good thing that people come to visit friends and relatives.

"It makes a big difference. People don’t go on vacation to shop but here they shop when they go on vacation because they’re going out with their friends and family," he said.

Having relatives in the area also encourages visitors to stay longer, Walker said.

The report also indicates Tucson has significant opportunties to gear up and tailor its message to attract Gen Xers as they start spending more time traveling. It particular, Walker said promotion of outdoor and adventure activities could be big for the future of local tourism.

Kimberly Schmitz, director of communications and public relations, said the MTCVB has stepped up efforts to attract events that will appeal to this age group. One example, she noted is the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo mountain bike ride coming up Feb. 16.

The study, done by travel marketing and research firms D.K. Shifflet and Associates and Dean Runyan Associates, was released Friday (Jan. 25) by the MTCVB. It tracked only visitors traveling domestically. A separate study is being done to on international visitors, Schmitz said. Among other findings in the report were:

• Direct spending by visitors is up 20

percent since 2000. Spending fell

about 7 percent in 2001 and took an

other two years to get back to 2000

levels so it has grown by 20 percent

since 2003.

• 43 percent of spending goes to hotels

and motels.

• 77 percent of visitors came for leisures

purposes, 23 percent for business

reasons.

• 48 percent of visitors were couples

without children (44 percent were

man-wife, 4 percent were same-sex

couples)

• 2.49 was the average size of the

traveling party, on par with national

averages but larger than state aver

ages.

• 32 percent said dining was an

important activity during their stay,

on par with national averages.

• 29 percent said sightseeing was an

important activity during their stay,

which is about 7 points higher than

national averages.

• 14 percent said visiting a national or

state park was important, 7 percent

said hiking and biking was import;

both about double national averages.

• 18 percent cited entertainment as an

important activity, 5 points below the

national average for other

destinations.

• 65 percent were repeat visitors; 26

percent said they had been here more

than 10 times.

• 40,000 jobs are here because of

tourism; 65 percent of them are

directly related to tourism.