Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $2.2 Million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance to Support Arizona’s Tourism Sector

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $2.2 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the Arizona Office of Tourism, Phoenix, Arizona, to support the recovery of Arizona’s tourism sector. This EDA grant is expected to create 12,500 jobs and retain 87,100 jobs.

“The travel and tourism industry has been hard hit by the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. “This EDA investment in the Arizona Office of Tourism is representative of President Biden’s larger commitment to deliver relief and resources to the local economies, working people, and businesses that have been impacted by it.”

“The Economic Development Administration plays an important role in supporting community-led economic development strategies designed to boost coronavirus recovery and response efforts,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “This project will support the development and implementation of a data-driven marketing program designed to recoup lost revenue and jobs in the tourism sector by attracting business travel and conventions.”

“Arizona’s tourism industry supports our communities, grows small businesses, and creates Arizona jobs. The pandemic hit Arizona’s tourism industry hard, and throughout the pandemic, I’ve been working to ensure Arizonans have the resources to recover,” said Senator Kyrsten Sinema. “These EDA resources from the CARES Act will help Arizona tourism recover and get Arizonans back to work.”

“Arizona’s tourism industry is a big part of our economy, and it has been hit hard by the pandemic with a lot of Arizonans losing their jobs,” said Senator Mark Kelly. “I’ve been working in the Senate since day one to ensure that our communities get the resources they need to recover, and the EDA’s funding for the Arizona Office of Tourism will help bring visitors and jobs back to our state.”

“I was proud to support the CARES Act in Congress, and I’m glad to see the funds going directly to the Phoenix community to support our tourism and service sectors,” said Congressman Ruben Gallego (AZ-07). “The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Phoenix particularly hard. Funds like this EDA grant bring much needed assistance to help lessen the impact and are critical to growing Phoenix’s workforce and economy.”

This project is funded under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (Public Law 116-136 PDF), which provided EDA with $1.5 billion for economic assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance, which is being administered under the authority of the bureau’s flexible Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) (PDF) program, provides a wide-range of financial assistance to eligible communities and regions as they respond to and recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

EDA is focused on continuing this work to help accelerate the recovery of communities that rely on the travel, tourism and outdoor recreation sectors. $750 million of EDA’s American Rescue Plan funds are allocated to support the following efforts:

• State Tourism Grants: $510 million in non-competitive awards to help states quickly invest in marketing, infrastructure, workforce and other projects to rejuvenate safe leisure, business and international travel.
• Competitive Grants: $240 million to help communities that have been hardest hit by challenges facing the travel, tourism and outdoor recreation sectors to invest in infrastructure, workforce or other projects to support the recovery of the industry and economic resilience of the community in the future.

For more information, please visit EDA’s American Rescue Plan Travel, Tourism & Outdoor Recreation webpage.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA invests in communities and supports regional collaboration in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.