Study shows what they do and where they stay

Winter tourists like to shop, visit casinos and farms, ride ATVs in the desert and visit parks, according to a new Yuma winter visitation study.

Arizona State University researchers gathered survey information with the assistance of the Yuma Visitor Information Center, participating Yuma County mobile home and RV parks, and the presenters of large local events including the Yuma Medjool Date Festival, Yuma Lettuce Days, Welcome Back Winter Visitor Bash and Midnight at the Oasis.

Part of the details were presented by Dr. Christine A. Vogt, director of the Arizona State University Center for Sustainable Tourism, during the Visit Yuma’s Quarterly Membership Meeting held Wednesday at the Sanguinetti House Museum and Gardens.

The study, which is still underway, is looking at when winter visitors and tourists arrive, what they like to do in Yuma County, where they stay and how many come each winter. The study distinguishes between a winter visitor, who stays 30 days or longer, and a winter tourist, who stays 30 days or less.

The study was commissioned by Visit Yuma and Yuma County as part of the Arizona Office of Tourism Rural Cooperative Program. The study, which focuses on Yuma winter visitation numbers and resulting local spending, took place between Dec. 1, 2017, and May 31, 2018, and was carried out by the Center for Sustainable Tourism at Arizona State University.

“The information