Epic Events Expected to Bring a Record Number of Visitors to Greater Phoenix in January

Epic Events Expected to Bring a Record Number of Visitors to Greater Phoenix in January

BCS National Championship, Fiesta Bowl, Annual Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and FBR Open All Convene in Span of Five Weeks

PHOENIX, Nov. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- It is a rite of winter: As temperatures in the Midwest and on the East Coast plunge, thousands of "snowbirds" leave behind their frosty stoops and migrate to sun-warmed Greater Phoenix.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030430/GPCVBLOGO)

This winter, however, those snowbirds will be joined by massive flocks of sports fans and marathoners, creating a gaggle of visitors whose numbers might startle even Alfred Hitchcock.

It all begins in January, when Greater Phoenix plays host to two college football bowl games -- including the one that will decide the national championship -- as well as the annual Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and 1/2 Marathon. More than 140,000 fans and will attend the bowl games on Jan. 1 and Jan. 8, and more than 30,000 runners will participate in the road-racing event on Jan. 14.

January is also the month when golf fans begin arriving in Greater Phoenix for the FBR Open. The tournament, which runs from Jan. 29 to Feb. 4, is the best-attended event on the PGA Tour and annually attracts more than 500,000 spectators to the TPC of Scottsdale.

"We should see a record number of visitors for the month of January," said Douglas MacKenzie, the Communications Director at the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau. "And what a wonderful month to be here -- the weather is sunset-perfect. You can leave your parkas behind."

Parkas certainly won't be necessary at University of Phoenix Stadium, site of the Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 1) and the Bowl Championship Series title game (Jan. 8), because the state-of-the-art stadium features a retractable roof. Still, it's a safe bet that roof will be open to the desert sky for both events. The temperature at kickoff has been 60 degrees or warmer for nine of the past 10 Fiesta Bowl games (which were held at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe from 1971-2006), and rain hasn't dampened a January bowl game in Greater Phoenix in a quarter century. (Light showers fell during Penn State's win over Southern Cal in the 1982 Fiesta Bowl.)

Among the visitors who will invade Greater Phoenix in January will be a legion of Ohioans. That's because Ohio State is playing in a bowl game here for the fourth time in five years. Fans of the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes have a reputation for traveling well. Last year, more than 76,000 spectators watched the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, and in '04 more than 73,000 saw Ohio State's win over Kansas State. In 2003, according to a study by Arizona State University, Ohio State's victory against Miami attracted more than 90,000 out-of-state visitors.

"I guess (Phoenix) kind of is like our home away from Columbus," Ohio State wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez said after the Buckeyes beat rival Michigan on Nov. 18 to earn a spot in the BCS title game.

Six days after college football's national champion is crowned at University of Phoenix Stadium, tens of thousands of long-distance runners will take to the streets of Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe for the fourth edition of the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and 1/2 Marathon. Last year, nearly 34,000 athletes took part in the event, which features 70 live bands performing along the course routes.

After the marathoners stride out of Greater Phoenix, the Arabian horses trot in. The 52nd Annual Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show takes place on Feb. 16-25 at WestWorld equestrian center. Top owners, trainers and breeders from around the world compete for prizes at the showcase event, which last year brought 140,000 people and nearly 2,000 horses to Scottsdale and the surrounding area.

When this winter's visitors to Greater Phoenix aren't riding, running or cheering, they will find plenty to do. The area boasts 200-plus golf courses, more than 30 full-service resorts and enough spas to cover nearly seven football fields. And, of course, Phoenix is the gateway to the Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

"Because the average high in Phoenix during the winter months is nearly 70 degrees, you can do things here in January and February that you wouldn't dream of doing in other parts of the country," MacKenzie said. "That's one of the reasons why all these showcase events are here. Phoenix is redefining the notion of a winter wonderland."

Alas, if Greater Phoenix does establish a record for visitors this winter, the mark isn't destined to stand. Coming to town Feb. 3, 2008: Super Bowl XLII.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030430/GPCVBLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau

CONTACT: Doug MacKenzie, Director of Communications of Greater Phoenix
Convention & Visitors Bureau, +1-602-452-6250, dmackenzie@visitphoenix.com

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