In the last decade, what was once a sleepy suburb has hosted two Super Bowls, four NASCAR Championship Weekends, a men’s college basketball Final Four, the College Football Playoff National Championship, a Jake Paul fight, two classic UFC events, the Rolling Stones and Taylor Swift — twice. Welcome to the West Valley — one of the nation’s emerging hot spots for experience-based tourism.
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“I see more energy around tourism in the West Valley than ever,” says Sintra Hoffman, president and CEO of WESTMARC. “It used to be spring training. But hosting these mega-events has put the West Valley on a world-wide stage for the world to see. Now, people are looking at the West Valley as a year-round tourism destination.”
And it’s easy to see why.
“You can pack a bag, stay in the West Valley and capture a bit of it all —shopping, dining, entertainment, outdoor activities, arts and culture attractions, good weather and so much more,” says Jessica Kubicki, marketing director at Westgate.
Tourism in the West Valley is only going to get bigger with the expected 2025 openings of the much-anticipated VAI Resort and Mattel Theme Park in Glendale.
Coming attractions
Imagine a $1 billion, 60-acre resort oasis destination rising from the Arizona desert landscape. Imagine a hotel room transforming into a concert seat to view world-renowned artists and entertainers. Imagine an island escape inspired by the most exotic beaches in the world now set at the center of a resort destination. It takes a visionary to go beyond imagining and disrupt the status quo. But that’s what the $1 billion VAI Resort intends to do. Led by Grant Fisher, the 28-year-old hospitality entrepreneur, and the VAI Global Development team, VAI is the manifestation of a dream to create the world’s most iconic resort in the most unexpected yet perfect location.
“What I love most about VAI Resort is that it’s geared towards the younger generation as an experiential entertainment destination that will combine live entertainment, overnight accommodations, restaurants and daytime activities,” says Kevin Phelps, city manager of Glendale.
Some highlights:
• It will be the first hotel property to create a live music venue with rooms.
• It will feature four towers with more than 1,100 rooms, suites and villas.
• VAI music and entertainment venue features a $50 million state-of-the-art stage.
• Entertainment options include 12 signature restaurants, Konos Island and Beach Oasis, luxury spa, nightclub venue, rides and attractions,
An addition that could potentially be in the works, according to Phelps, is an elevated 10-minute gondola ride that can take guests to the Desert Diamond Casino from VAI Resort.
Next door to VAI Resort is the Mattel Theme Park, which will feature a Hot Wheels Go Kart Track and a 4D Barbie Theater for an interactive guest experience.
“We think this will be a magnet for attracting visitors,” Phelps says.
And some of those visitors will likely be be sports fans, who can rejoice because nearby State Farm Stadium — which hosted the men’s Final Four in 2024 — will be hosting the women’s Final Four in 2026.
Arizonans will also get to experience their first-ever Buc-ee’s in 2025. The destination gas station will feature 120 gas pumps and a one-stop shop for clothing, food and more. According to the city of Goodyear, it will bring more that 200 jobs to the area and offer tourists another fun place to visit.
Westgate creates booming economy
When the Westgate Entertainment District opened in 2006, it helped tourism in the West Valley reach new heights — and it continues to do so. Not only is it home to Desert Diamond Arena — which hosts concerts, sporting events and other attractions — but Westgate also brings people together for dining, nightlife, shopping and socializing.
“The one-stop-shop is our mantra here,” Kubicki says.
Some fairly new attractions:
• Pop Stroke, a Tiger Woods-backed business, includes two 18-hole, high end, miniature golf courses along with great food and drinks.
• Chicken N Pickle features indoor and outdoor pickleball courts and offers food, drinks, party rooms and TV sets.
“We’re also getting ready to open a huge indoor Mario Andretti electric car facility in Westgate that will offer car driving, restaurants, bars and virtual reality games,” Phelps says.
As the West Valley looks to grow its ever-younger population, entertainment stems from multiple different activities within one place. They want their senses challenged and that is what Westgate is all about, Phelps says.
“It’s about layering all these different activities, so it becomes a no brainer to want to be in Glendale,” Phelps says.
With the uniqueness of Glendale and other parts of the West Valley, its experts see tourism continuing to thrive.
“I think we can do better than any other region in Arizona and better than everyone outside of Las Vegas and the Southwest U.S.,” Phelps says.
Sports fans unite and rejoice
According to an Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority spokesperson, State Farm Stadium in Glendale attracts 1.2 million people to about 200 events per year, generating an estimated $7 billion in economic impact. The stadium will host three Copa America soccer matches this summer, which are expected to bring in tens of thousands of fans.
“You get out what you put in,” Kubicki says, “and the stakeholders of the West Valley have put a lot in. The sports appeal in general, from football to baseball to college sports, creates a huge upside for the West Valley. Big events bring big events, which to state the very obvious, bring the masses.”
These mega-events have helped Glendale’s hospitality industry increase its hotel room count from 900 to 1,900 rooms in the last decade, with thousands more on the horizon, including more than 1,000 new rooms from VAI alone.
“When Taylor Swift kicked off her world tour in Glendale at the stadium, we renamed Glendale to Swift City for two days”, Phelps says. “People spent money at unheard rates because it wasn’t about the music, it was about being in a party with 80,000 people and being part of the experience.”
But what originally helped put the West Valley on the tourism map was the Cactus League baseball, which generates $710 million in total economic impact and generates $36.6 million in annual tax revenue.
“Six out of 10 fans come here for spring training and as a result, they visit other parts of the state and stay for an average of four days,” says Bridget Binsbacher, executive director of the Cactus League.
Spring training might be five weeks long, but Binsbacher says it is a year-round industry with festivals, signature events and other attractions for fans.
“The World Series win by the Texas Rangers helped them see a 42% increase in attendance,” Binsbacher says. “Our total attendance for 2024 was 1.6 million for 216 games, the highest attendance total since before the pandemic.
Another economic driver for West Valley tourism is Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, which hosts two races per year, including NASCAR Championship Weekend, the Super Bowl for NASCAR.
“The City of Avondale continues to bring new hotels and restaurants and the other West Valley cities are also continuing to invest and bring new things out here,” says Latasha Causey, president of Phoenix Raceway.
“There’s always something going on in the West Valley,” Hoffman says, “and it’s only going to keep getting better.”
